Those Left Behind
by em1ly007
Summary: Sequel to Saving Doctor McCoy: The Enterprise crew takes on a new adventure on their mission in space. An enemy crew takes control of the ship and Kirk and the gang have to fight to take back control. The relationship between McCoy and Raylene is tested as each doctor must make decisions to save the crew, save themselves, and save the one they love.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello readers! I'm back! I recently reread my first star trek story and decided I wasn't done with those characters. This is a sequel to Saving Doctor McCoy so if you haven't read that please go read that first. Thank you to anyone that reads this story! As always I appreciate feedback so read and review! Enjoy!

* * *

The med bed was oddly quiet for the Enterprise crew. Raylene spent most of the morning organizing the new supply shipment that arrived last week. She had quickly learned the ebb and flow of the medical department and added her own ideas when it was necessary to upgrade.

The nurses appreciated her skills and welcomed the extra help with open arms. Nearly a year on the ship, and Raylene had inserted herself into the Enterprise crew as one of their own. Every day was a new adventure for her, but she wouldn't trade it for anything. Escaping the red planet was the best thing that could have happened to her.

She typed into her PADD the number of cannisters delivered for the hypo sprays and moved to counting rolls of gauze, when a nurse came into her line of vision.

"Yes, nurse?" Raylene asked.

"Dr. McCoy would like to see you in his office."

"Did he say why?"

"No ma'am." The nurse grew nervous. "I didn't ask, but I could go find out."

Raylene smiled. "That's not necessary. I'll go visit him when I'm done. Thank you."

"You're welcome." The nurse scurried off to avoid any reprimand for not delivering as much information as possible.

Raylene wasn't worried. If McCoy needed to talk to her, then she would go visit him no problem. She entered the total number of rolls of gauze into her PADD before setting it down and walking to McCoy's office. She paused a moment before knocking on the door.

"Come in," came McCoy's reply from inside.

Raylene entered and stood at attention in front of his desk. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

McCoy put down his PADD and met her gaze. "Yes, Dr. Hobbs. I wanted to check that you were still happy serving on the Enterprise."

"Yes, sir. I have learned a lot while working on the Enterprise and look forward to spending more time with the crew." Raylene answered.

McCoy nodded. "So, you've made friends here?"

"Yes, I believe I have. I hope my friendships have not inhibited my abilities as a doctor." She replied.

"No, no, nothing like that." McCoy returned.

Raylene paused for an explanation, but he didn't supply one. "Anything else, sir?"

"One more question," McCoy stood from his desk, "Is anyone bothering you on the crew?"

"Not that I'm aware." Raylene said. "Anyone in particular I should be watching for?"

McCoy filled the space between her and the desk. "Just the most handsome doctor in the fleet." He smirked.

"Oh, you mean Dr. Rogers? He hasn't bothered me."

McCoy furrowed his brow and huffed. "Damn it, I meant me, Ray."

Raylene laughed as she reached out to hug McCoy. "I know you did, but I couldn't let you have all the fun."

He hugged her back as he grumbled, "Dr. Rogers isn't even handsome. He uses too much hair gel, and have you noticed his eyes are too far apart?"

Raylene pulled back to face him. "Leonard, it was a joke. If I thought Dr. Rogers was attractive would I be standing here holding on to you?"

McCoy thought over her argument. "I guess not."

"Exactly. I love you and you're the handsomest man I've ever met." Raylene leaned in and kissed him once on the lips.

He smiled slightly. "Am I really the handsomest man you've ever met?"

Raylene rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Bones."

McCoy kissed her again and deepened the kiss by pulling her into his chest until the space between them disappeared. Raylene pulled his face toward hers, needing to be closer. They stumbled toward his desk and McCoy lifted her to sit on the edge in front of him. His hand slid up her leg as he squeezed her thigh. She was pulling at the hem of his shirt when McCoy's communicator beeped.

"Damn it." McCoy cursed, breathing heavy.

Raylene dropped her head to his shoulder. "It's okay. We needed to stop."

"Doesn't mean I wanted to," said McCoy, stepping away from Raylene to straighten his clothes and check his communicator.

Raylene stood from the desk and smoothed down her dress and hair.

"I have to go see Kirk." McCoy revealed.

"Does wonder boy need medical advice or moral advice?" Raylene teased.

McCoy slicked back his hair. "I swear he has the worst timing."

"Leonard," Raylene placed her hands on his chest, "go talk to Jim and I promise we can pick up where we left off later tonight."

He pressed a kiss to her lips. "I love you, you know that."

"I love you, too." Raylene smiled before turning to exit his office. She walked back to the stack of supplies and began organizing them once again. She saw McCoy leave his office from the corner of her eye and smiled to herself as his usual grumpy expression returned to his face.

* * *

McCoy stood in the elevator, waiting to be let out onto the bridge. Kirk's message didn't provide McCoy with details on what their meeting was about, but he could only assume Kirk needed someone to be on his side against Spock.

The doors opened to reveal a very calm bridge scene. McCoy stepped out of the elevator and glanced around at the crew members attending their positions. Sulu stared ahead as the Enterprise zoomed through space at warp speed, while next to him, Chekov scrolled through information on his PADD. Uhura studied the monitor in front of her, presumably studying up on alien languages. Spock stood next to the captain's chair where Kirk sat upright, looking imposing in his golden uniform. McCoy moved around to the other side of the captain's chair and stood at attention.

"You needed me." He said.

"Hey, Bones. Just the man I wanted to see." Kirk smiled.

McCoy sighed. "I gathered that. What exactly do you need?"

Kirk stood and threw an arm around his friend's shoulders. "Nothing seems to be happening in space, so I wanted to see how you were doing. How's med bay?"

"Seriously? I came up here because I thought you needed something." McCoy grumbled.

"I do need something. Entertainment. And you're the most entertaining man I know." Kirk replied.

McCoy leaned closer to Kirk's face to speak quietly. "Listen, Jim. I was in the middle of something in med bay that I would rather not be interrupted from, so next time when you need entertainment, call Mr. Scott."

Kirk stared confused. "What was going on in med bay? Organizing medical supplies can't be that fun."

"No, it's not," said McCoy. "But kissing my girlfriend in the privacy of my own office was." McCoy glared at Kirk as his words sunk in.

Kirk stared wide-eyed at McCoy. "Bones, I'm sorry." Then Kirk began to smile. "So, if I hadn't called you up here what would you be doing?"

McCoy shook his head. "Oh, no. You do not get to ask me that. Not you of all people."

Kirk laughed. "Alright, Bones. I get it. I'm sorry I ruined your moment."

"Thank you."

"But maybe next time we should have a code word just in case I call you in the middle of—"

"I'm leaving." McCoy cut off Kirk's explanation and walked toward the elevator.

"Don't worry, Bones. I will apologize to Raylene, too." Kirk called after him. He laughed to himself as McCoy stepped into the elevator and disappeared from the bridge.

Spock raised an eyebrow at the exchange. "Is there a problem with Dr. Hobbs? I thought she was adjusting nicely to the ship."

Kirk turned to Spock. "Everything is fine, Spock. Dr. McCoy was just telling me I have bad timing." He returned to the captain's chair.

"I believed it to be well known that you have terrible time management skills." Spock said, bluntly.

Kirk glared at Spock. "I know how to manage my time."

"Yes, captain." Spock returned his gaze to the course ahead a nearly imperceptible smile on his face. Kirk stared at Spock for a moment before facing forward and watching the stars fly by at warp speed.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

When McCoy had returned to med bay, he told Raylene about Kirk's need for entertainment, but skimmed over the part where he told Kirk about interrupting their moment. Raylene laughed at Kirk's childlike personality and tried to help McCoy see the funny side of the situation. She eventually won him over and they returned to working happily in the med bay.

Later that evening, the day shift was coming to an end and McCoy and Raylene were preparing for the shift change. As Chief Medical Officer, McCoy was required to arrive earlier and stay longer at shift change, but Raylene always chose to stay with him. The final doctor showed up and McCoy was about to leave, when a group of engineers were brought into med bay.

One was being carried between two members and another clutched his arm close to his body.

McCoy noticed the commotion and stepped toward the group. "What happened?"

"We were moving boxes and new parts on E deck and the stack fell over on these two. One has a dislocated shoulder and the other might have a broken leg or just a broken ankle." One engineer reported.

McCoy glanced at the two injured engineers. "Put them on the empty beds over there. I will be there in a second."

The group moved to the empty beds and McCoy turned to Raylene.

"What do you need?" She asked.

"I need you to go to your quarters. I can handle everything here." McCoy told her.

"Leonard, I can help you." Raylene said.

McCoy grabbed her by the arms. "It's okay. The other doctors are here. I'm just going to oversee the process. You're off the clock, go home."

Raylene sighed. "Fine. But don't stay too late."

"I promise I will be home as soon as I can." McCoy replied.

Raylene placed a kiss on his cheek before walking out of med bay to the elevator.

* * *

An hour later, McCoy trudged into his quarters, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck as if to wipe off the stress of the day. His crew of doctors were tested by the injuries to the engineers. The broken leg, which turned out to be a clean break of both the fibula and tibia, proved harder to set and heal in the regenerator than usual. After four tries, the leg was finally set correctly and placed in the regenerator to heal.

The dislocated shoulder on the other engineer was easily popped back into place and monitored by the other doctors and nurses, but the engineer had an allergic reaction to the pain medicine and went into anaphylactic shock. McCoy had overseen that each engineer was treated correctly, then filled in the information on his PADD. He tried to hurry the process, but the health of the crew had to be placed above his wants.

McCoy walked toward the kitchen to find something for dinner, when a movement in the room caught his eye. As the kitchen came into view, McCoy saw Raylene placing food on the table.

He stopped in the doorway. "What's all this?"

Raylene turned at the sound of his voice. "I thought you might want dinner and I figured you wouldn't have the energy to fix a good meal."

"I can cook, you know."

"I know," she smiled. "You also hate to be taken care of and I love to frustrate you."

"I don't hate to be taken care of." He denied.

"Fine. You don't like to be seen as helpless, and I love to see your frustrated face when I make you look helpless." Raylene moved in and kissed his cheek, then sat down at the table.

McCoy rolled his eyes and joined her for dinner. He filled his plate by himself, refusing to be even more helpless in her presence.

"Did you heal the engineers?" Raylene asked, glancing at McCoy between bites.

McCoy wiped his mouth with his napkin before answering. "I only stepped in when it was obvious the younger doctors needed help."

"So, you did need me?" Raylene surmised.

McCoy met her eyes. "I always need you, but sometimes you need a break."

"I just want to be helpful. I'm a doctor."

He took her hand. "You don't have to keep proving yourself. You belong here, and everyone knows that."

"I don't want it to seem like I'm only on this ship because I'm dating the Chief Medical Officer."

"No one thinks that. And if they do, they can answer to me."

"My hero," she said smiling."

McCoy released her hand to continue eating. "This is delicious by the way. Much better than those meals you made for me in the cave."

"Excuse me," she cocked her eyebrow at him, "I had crappy materials to work with. Just be thankful anything on that planet was edible."

He chuckled at her frustration earning a playful punch in the arm from Raylene. "Ow!"

"I can hit much harder than that." She replied, turning her attention back to her food.

McCoy studied her for a moment, wondering how he got so lucky. Raylene had become the best thing to happen to him since his divorce, besides joining Starfleet, and he spent every day thanking the universe for forcing them together on that planet.

They finished their meal in relative silence, and once they were both finished, McCoy stood and took the plates to the sink. He rinsed them off before putting them in the machine to wash. When he turned around, Raylene stared at him with a twinkle in her eye he couldn't quite read.

"What?" He questioned.

She sighed, dreamily. "A man who does the dishes. Every girl's fantasy."

McCoy shook his head, amused. "Come here you." He rushed toward her.

Raylene jumped from her chair and ran around the table to keep it between herself and McCoy. He ran around it, forcing her out of the kitchen and into the living room where they chased each other around the couch.

Raylene stopped with the couch between her and McCoy. "You're getting slow, old man."

"I'll show you old man." He challenged and jumped the couch to stand on the same side as her, then grabbed her around the waist when she tried to flee. Her back pressed into his chest as she struggled against his strong arms.

"Let me go," she complained between giggles.

McCoy leaned his head toward hers and with his lips against her ear he whispered, "Never."

Raylene relaxed a little in his grasp and McCoy switched his hold on her. He picked her up and she threw her arms around his neck to steady herself.

"You're stuck with me." He said.

"You promise?" She asked, placing a hand to his cheek.

"I promise," said McCoy, pressing a kiss to her lips as he stood there holding her in his arms.

The kiss was simple and sweet and only lasted a few moments. Raylene pulled away first to look in his eyes, seeing the love she held for him reflected in his hazel orbs.

Without another word, McCoy walked to the bedroom with her in his arms and laid her on the bed. He moved above her, kissing her neck and back up to her lips. She pulled his shirt up his torso and over his head, leaving her hands unrestricted from touching his skin. Soon, the passion overtook them, and they spent the night reminding each other of how much they were loved.

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the first two chapters! I promise the story will pick up soon!


	3. Chapter 3

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

The alarm repeated its annoying call until McCoy reached a large hand over and turned it off. Raylene snuggled deeper into his side and he squeezed her tighter. She reveled in the feel of his warm body against her and banished the thought of having to wake up and face the day.

"Do you think we can get away with staying in bed all day?" He asked, his voice gravelly from sleep.

"Why not? We can tell Jim we're sick, so we put ourselves under quarantine." She suggested.

"If both of us didn't show up for work, he would probably come here personally to check on us, and I don't want him interrupting us again." McCoy replied.

Raylene opened her eyes and sat up to look at him. McCoy opened his eyes when she moved. "I hate that you're right."

She leaned in to kiss him before vacating the bed to get ready for the day. Raylene cleaned off the sleepy look and was in the middle of fixing her makeup for the day when McCoy joined her in the bathroom. He stood behind her watching her movements with obvious curiosity.

"What are you learning doctor?" She finally asked.

"I'm just admiring your beauty. I think I fell in love with your beauty before I realized how wonderful you are." He grabbed her waist and turned her to face him.

"Dr. McCoy, always the charmer." She watched as he leaned closer until his lips brushed hers. She could feel the stubble on his chin as he kissed her deeper. "You need to shave before you cut me."

He pulled away from her, smiling. "Yes, ma'am."

They finished getting ready and walked to the elevator to take them to med bay. "Do you think we'll get shore leave soon?" Raylene asked.

"I'm not sure. Depends on what planet we happen upon during our exploration of _deep space_." McCoy cringed as he said the words.

Raylene giggled as she faced him. "You can't keep reacting to the words "deep space" like it's a bad rash."

"Listen," McCoy began his speech on the dangers of space travel. "The further we get from Earth the less we know and that puts us at a disadvantage. I don't think I'm irrational for fearing the unknown."

Stepping into his personal space, Raylene wrapped her arms around his waist. "You're not irrational. And, don't worry. If something happens, I'll protect you."

McCoy softened at her words. "How do you always know the right thing to say?"

Raylene shrugged then kissed him.

The elevator dinged to alert them they had arrived on their floor, and they separated as the doors opened. They walked down the hall to med bay and relieved the late shift crew of their duties.

McCoy went to his office to go over some files and Raylene diverted to her small desk to review the patients she would see that day. She couldn't help the smile that came to her lips as she thought about McCoy and the night they had shared.

Lost in thought she didn't hear the nurse asking her a question until the girl said her name.

"Dr. Hobbs?"

"What? Sorry. What do you need?" Raylene asked, slightly startled.

"I was asking if I should give the patient in bed six another pain reliever or wait." The nurse reported.

"If they haven't been given one in over four hours, then give them one."

"Yes, ma'am," The nurse nodded. "Um, Dr. Hobbs?"

"Yes?"

"Are you okay? You looked flushed."

Raylene straightened herself in her chair, embarrassed that the nurse had caught her fantasizing about McCoy. "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you."

"Okay," The nurse moved to the patient and Raylene fanned her face to relieve the heat burning up her neck. Focusing on her work, Raylene tried to forget the conversation with the nurse and focus her mind off McCoy.

* * *

The day in med bay had passed uneventfully for the doctors, with no medical emergencies to occupy their attention. McCoy spent the day hiding in his office updating medical information to Starfleet profiles. The information needed to be complete weeks ago, but he had gotten behind in fulfilling his CMO requirements.

Raylene sat at her desk analyzing files on crew members who needed to complete another physical, when a notification came up on her communicator.

She looked down to see a message from Kirk. Crossing over to McCoy's office, she poked her head in to inform him.

"Kirk wants me on the bridge."

"Just you?" McCoy asked.

"I am his employee. Not all of our meetings have to revolve around my relationship with you." She teased.

"I wasn't saying that. I just meant—"

"Leonard," she interrupted. "It's fine. He probably has a stupid joke he wants to tell me or something. I'll be back soon." She walked out of med bay and entered the elevator to take her to the bridge.

McCoy grumbled about Kirk as he watched her leave. He knew his friend respected his relationship enough not to steal Raylene from him, but Kirk's insistent flirting caused McCoy to hate his friend, if only a little bit.

Raylene stepped onto the bridge to find Kirk speaking with Uhura and Spock, most likely asking questions about their relationship. She approached the young captain and smiled.

"Good morning, sir. You wanted to see me?"

"Ray! How's my favorite doctor?" Kirk threw his arm around her shoulders and walked her away from the others.

"I'm well, Jim. How are you?" She asked.

"Good," he said. "Listen, I just wanted to apologize for interrupting your moment with Bones yesterday. I know you guys are working hard all the time and—"

"Wait! He told you what happened?" Her eyes grew wide and her face burned red.

"I mean he didn't give details, but I can imagine." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Raylene scoffed. "I'm gonna kill him."

"Don't do anything rash. I forced it out of him." Kirk supplied.

"Of course, you did." She rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Ray. You know I love you and Bones together. You're the best thing that ever happened to him, and I'm not just saying that, so you will stop being mad at me." Kirk gave his signature smile to soften her up.

Raylene glared at him for a moment then sighed. "You always get what you want, don't you?"

"I try not to take it for granted." He smirked.

"I forgive you, but next time you need entertainment, ask Chekov to sing you something in Russian."

"That's a good idea," agreed Kirk. "And maybe we should have a code word just in case I call you in the middle of—"

"Goodbye, Jim." Raylene stopped Kirk from finishing his sentence and entered the elevator to return to med bay.

* * *

A/N: I know kind of a slow start, but we're getting there! I promise things will start to pick up! As always favorite and follow or leave a review (I'm not picky). Thanks!


	4. Chapter 4

A few days passed after Kirk's awkward apology, and Raylene and McCoy had forgotten the incident completely. Their days consisted of helping the crew members on board with simple injuries and illnesses and their nights consisted of shared meals and a shared bed. Their routine became second nature and even the slightest misstep in their day caused them to miss each other greatly.

A particularly rough day had separated them for multiple hours as they were needed to treat different patients on opposite sides of med bay. The end of the day couldn't arrive soon enough for either of them.

Raylene stood in the elevator attempting to relax for the ride to her floor, when someone stopped the doors from closing and stepped into the elevator. She opened her eyes to see McCoy coming toward her.

"Hey you." She smiled.

"I feel like I haven't seen you all day." McCoy moved in quickly and claimed her mouth with his. Surprised by his action, she took a second to respond to the kiss in kind.

He pulled away from her, his thumbs brushing her cheeks as he studied her face. "I missed you, so much today."

"I was across med bay not across the ocean." Raylene said, laughing.

"Doesn't matter. My poor heart couldn't take it."

Raylene covered his heart with her hand and felt the strong beats in his chest. "It seems fine now."

"Because I'm standing so close to you." He replied.

The doors to the elevator opened and McCoy threw his arm around her shoulders to lead her to their shared quarters.

"Why are you being so sweet?" She asked.

"What are you talking about? I'm always sweet."

"Yes, but you're dripping in honey right now." Raylene eyed him from her vantage point under his arm.

"I spent all day wanting to be close to you and being forced away. Forgive me if I put a little extra sugar on my southern charm." McCoy squeezed her to him and Raylene grinned.

"You're ridiculous, Leonard McCoy."

"I love you, too." He kissed the side of her head as they reached the door to their shared quarters and walked inside.

* * *

McCoy laid on his back on his side of the bed, listening to the quiet bubbling of the water running in the bathroom. His eyes fought to stay open, but his body started slowly shutting down for the night. The events of the day had worn him out, even if they hadn't required much physical exertion from him.

The water shut off and Raylene appeared in the doorway, backlit by the light in the bathroom, looking at McCoy's drowsy form. She smiled before turning off the light and crossing to the bed, getting under the covers and scooting closer to McCoy.

She snuggled into his side and looked up at his tired face. "Are you asleep?"

"No, not yet." He said, his voice course.

"Did you mean what you said earlier about missing me so much?"

McCoy opened his eyes and looked down at her. "Yes. Why?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to know."

"Well, you wanted to know for a reason, so tell me."

"It's stupid." She shook her head against him.

"If it's bothering you this much, it can't be stupid."

Raylene took a breath. "I've never had someone care for me as much as you do, and I don't know how to handle it sometimes. I never had a long-term boyfriend and my parents could barely take care of themselves let alone raise me."

McCoy raised her chin to see her eyes. "Others may not have cared for you this deeply, but don't let that diminish how important you are to me. I love you, Ray. Never doubt that."

"I love you, too." She relaxed in his grasp and snuggled in closer. But soon her mind found something else to focus on.

"I have another question." She said.

"What is it, sweetheart?"

"Why did you get married before?"

McCoy, caught off guard, took a second to reply. "Why do you ask?"

"We've never really talked about your life before the Enterprise and I just want to understand how someone could let you go." Raylene clarified.

"First of all," he began, "I wasn't always this level headed. The reason I don't tell you my college stories is because I'm ashamed of who I was then. That's part of the reason why my marriage didn't work. We got married young thinking we were ready, but we found out too late that we weren't. If you had met me twelve years ago, you wouldn't have liked me. And, to be honest I wouldn't have been ready for a girl like you."

Raylene thought a moment. "Thank you for your honesty."

McCoy waited for her to say something else, but she stayed silent. "Aren't you gonna ask me if I would ever get married again?"

Stunned by his sudden question, Raylene stuttered a reply. "Uh, wh—why? Have you thought about getting married again?"

McCoy rubbed his hand up and down her back to force her to relax. "Not anytime soon, but maybe someday I could see myself at the end of the aisle again."

Raylene smiled at his answer, thanking him silently for taking the pressure off the situation.

"Did I put your mind at ease for now?" He asked.

"Yes," she said. "Good night, Leonard."

"Good night, Raylene."

* * *

The next day business as usual settled in med bay and Raylene and McCoy spent many hours standing within speaking distance of each other, working side by side. The day ran smoothly as multiple crew members came in to update physicals, giving McCoy a reason to need Raylene close to him all day.

As they were completing the last physical of the day, Raylene received a notification on her communicator. She read the code to be Kirk's.

"What does he want?" She complained, rolling her eyes.

"Who?" McCoy asked.

"Who do you think? Captain I-need-entertainment."

"He only wants to see you?"

"Apparently," she stood, "I'll be back soon."

She walked quickly to the elevator and rode up to the bridge, stepping out as soon as the doors opened. Kirk stood behind his chair watching the stars fly by.

"What do you need, Kirk?" She asked, coming up to stand beside him.

"First, I need you to treat me with more respect. I am your captain." He teased.

"Then act like it." She retorted.

"Oh, I get it. You've spent too much time with Bones and you've lost your sense of humor."

"I'll laugh when the joke is funny." She crossed her arms. "Did you need something?"

"Yes, I wanted to check that all the physicals were complete and updated."

"We only have a few unscheduled cadets and a few commanding officers to finish. Including yourself, captain."

"I don't need a physical. Besides, Bones almost killed me the last time he gave me a physical." Kirk said.

"If you hadn't forced him to get you on the Enterprise, then you wouldn't have had to go through all the vaccinations." She argued.

"I didn't force him to do anything." He replied.

Raylene was about to make another argument when the ship shuddered as it was struck in the side. The Enterprise fell out of warp and spun until another hit forced it to stop spinning. The second hit proved to be an anchor that had attached to the hull from another ship.

"Captain, structural damage on multiple decks. The anchor is pulling us toward another ship." Sulu reported.

Kirk moved to the captain's chair. "All hands to battle stations. Sulu shields up and phasers ready. Uhura try to hail them."

Raylene stood in the background watching the bridge crew work at a new, faster pace.

"Captain, the connection with the other ship is ready." Uhura said.

"On screen." Kirk sat up in his chair. "You have fired on a union ship. I hope you know what you're doing."

A woman appeared on the screen. "A union ship? Oh, no. Whatever will we do?" She began to laugh, implying her sarcasm.

"What are your intentions?" Kirk asked.

"Simple. We want power and the easiest way to get power is to hold onto something that someone else wants."

"Who are you?" Kirk glanced to Spock to gauge his thoughts.

The woman on screen backed away and sat in a large chair with larger men on either side. "We are a few disgruntled coworkers filing our complaints all at once. Starfleet deserted us all in one way or another and we are going to use you to get the recognition we deserve."

"Keeping us hostage won't get you anywhere. Let us talk to Starfleet. Maybe we can reach an agreement." Kirk offered.

"It's too late for agreements, Captain." The woman replied. "Take out their guns."

The screen cut out before multiple shots were fired at the Enterprise. The ship rocked with each hit and alarms began to sound as more damage was reported.

"Spock. Chekov. Go to engineering and help Scotty find a way to shake this anchor." Kirk ordered.

"I need to return to med bay." Raylene said, stumbling to the elevator.

"Sulu, you have the con," said Kirk. "I'm going with you, Ray. I need to know how bad the damage is to our crew."

They stepped into the elevator as another shot shook the Enterprise. The elevator groaned and dropped a few feet, causing Raylene and Kirk to grab the sides. The elevator groaned again before it fell two floors, only being stopped by the emergency brakes. Kirk fell to the floor and Raylene moved to the door to open it manually, when another shot forced her back against the wall. Her head slammed on the back wall and the world went dark.

* * *

A/N: Sorry that I'm a date late in updating. I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far! It's finally getting to the action, so maybe more reviews will show up when certain things happen to the crew.

Do you like the relationship with Raylene and McCoy?

Is the romance enough or do I need more?

Send me your thoughts! Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

McCoy scrambled around med bay as more and more injured crew members were brought in to be healed. He had called in the other doctors to help with the large amount of people and glanced around every now and then to see if Raylene had returned. He assumed she was on the bridge when the shots started, and he hoped Kirk would keep her safe.

The crew member in front of him screamed in agony as McCoy removed the metal shrapnel that had embedded in her leg. The nurse helping McCoy restrained the girl as she tried to fight against McCoy's help. He quickly grabbed a sedative and injected it into her neck. The girl calmed down considerably, and McCoy ran the regenerator over her leg to kick start the healing process. Once it had reached a certain point of healing, McCoy stapled the gash together and wrapped her leg.

The nurse moved on to another patient as McCoy scanned the med bay looking for Raylene. She wasn't there. He tried not to assume the worst, but his pessimistic brain thought out every scenario where he didn't see her again.

At that moment, the med bay doors opened and for a second, he thought it would be her. When Spock walked in followed by Chekov, McCoy forced himself not to punch the Vulcan in his perfect cheekbones.

"Spock, what happened?" He questioned, as he approached them.

"We are under attack from an enemy ship," said Spock.

McCoy rolled his eyes. "I gathered that. Where did they come from? How did they hit us in warp?"

"I am not sure, doctor. Mr. Chekov and I were instructed to help remove the anchor holding us to their ship, but we are blocked off from engineering."

"Did you say anchor?"

"Yes, doctor." Spock replied. "I thought I spoke clearly."

"Yeah, you did, but how do you make an anchor big enough to hold a starship?" McCoy asked, dumbfounded by the new information.

"It actually does not have to be that big if they damaged our systems enough to disable us. Which they did." Chekov supplied.

"I was being rhetorical, kid, but thanks." McCoy looked around at the controlled chaos of the med bay. "How many more do you think are injured but can't get to med bay."

"I would concur many."

McCoy sighed. "I'm sure you two don't need my help, but I'm going with you to try and save some more lives."

Spock nodded. "As you wish, doctor. Your medical expertise will be greatly appreciated."

McCoy grabbed a portable med kit and a few other necessary items and threw them in a shoulder bag. He placed it over his head and let it hang by his hip, keeping his hands free to heal anyone they came across.

"The best way to engineering from here is down two levels and a long walk to the other end of the ship. There are security hatches with ladders incase the elevators are malfunctioning." McCoy reported.

Spock stepped aside. "Lead the way."

McCoy walked through the doors to med bay and out into the hallway. He only knew of the security hatches because of the medical evacuation plans he had in place for emergencies such as this. Raylene had revised his plans and cut down a few minutes of unnecessary walking by utilizing the security hatches.

The thought of her made him clench his fist.

"Spock was Dr. Hobbs on the bridge before you left?" McCoy asked.

"Yes, she was standing with the captain." Spock said.

_WOOP! WOOP! WOOP!_

"This is acting captain Sulu. The bridge has been taken. Repeat the bridge has been—"

The announcement cut out.

McCoy, Spock, and Chekov glanced between themselves.

"We have to get rid of that anchor." McCoy said.

* * *

The sound of wires zapping, and metal creaking became louder and louder until consciousness returned to her. Raylene opened her eyes slowly to adjust to the dim light of the elevator. She did a quick physical check of her body to make sure nothing was broken or out of place. Other than a few sore muscles, she felt relatively fine, and sat up to look around. The elevator was cracked in many places and supports from the elevator shaft had pierced the sides.

Raylene glanced around until she caught a glimpse of gold lying underneath pieces of the elevator. She moved toward Kirk, then cleared the debris from his body. He laid unconscious with a few lacerations to his face and a large gash on his upper arm that bled through his sleeve.

Placing a hand to his cheek, Raylene softly patted him.

"Kirk, can you hear me?" She pressed two fingers to his neck and felt his strong pulse. "Jim, wake up!"

Kirk opened his eyes quickly and gasped. He looked around as he tried to calm his breathing, his eyes landing on Raylene's face.

"What happened? Where are we?" He asked.

"Keep still until I finish talking." She placed a hand on his chest to keep him down. "The elevator malfunctioned, and I think an explosion went off close to us. Do you have any pain that I need to know about?"

"My head hurts a little and my arm."

"Can you move your arms and legs?"

Kirk wiggled a little then nodded. "Yeah, I think I'm okay."

"Good," she stood up, "on your feet, captain."

Raylene helped him to a standing position and they stared at each other for a moment. Kirk began to survey the damage around them, looking for a way out.

"How do we get out of here?" He asked, aloud.

"There is a security hatch on the top of every elevator. We just need to find something to pry it open from this side." Raylene looked around for any kind of metal to use as a crowbar.

"How do you know that?" Kirk said, helping her search.

"I reevaluated the emergency action plans when I came aboard, and I pointed out that the new design included safety features the original Enterprise did not." Raylene raised a large piece of metal to show Kirk. "This will work."

She instructed Kirk to lift her to reach the ceiling panel and jimmied it open with the piece of metal. Raylene gripped the sides of the hatch to lift herself through the hole, then turned to help Kirk. Once they were on top of the elevator, they saw the door out of the elevator shaft and entered the hallway.

"Where do we go from here?" Raylene asked.

"We need to group up with the crew."

_WOOP! WOOP! WOOP!_

"This is acting captain Sulu. The bridge has been taken. Repeat the bridge has been—"

The announcement cut out.

Kirk's temper flared, and he punched the wall.

Raylene allowed his moment of anger before she spoke.

"Save it for when we have to take back the bridge. These people mean business and the only way to stop them is to fight." She placed a hand on his shoulder.

Kirk let out a breath. "You're right."

"Now, captain, what do we do?"

Kirk thought a moment. "I sent Spock and Chekov to engineering, so our best bet is to catch up with them. Once we have a group of us, we can take back the bridge, release the anchor, and alert Starfleet."

"I don't understand why Bones always complains about how dumb you are. You say very smart things." Raylene teased.

"Never talk to me when our lives aren't in danger." Kirk smiled.

"The fastest route to engineering from here is over one deck and down the hall." Raylene reported, as she scanned their surroundings.

"You know this from your emergency action plans?" Kirk asked.

"Yes, sir." Raylene found what she was looking for and opened the panel in the wall to grab the first aid kit and other emergency supplies like a security phaser.

She handed Kirk the phaser and shouldered the med kit.

Kirk glanced at the weapon and back to her. "You're amazing. No wonder Bones likes you so much."

Raylene smiled. "I like to think I'm more than just a pretty face."

"Dr. Hobbs, I would follow you anywhere." Kirk replied. "Mostly because you seem to know where you're going, but you get my point."

Raylene laughed as she dug in the med kit. "I appreciate the compliment. Now, hold still while I wrap your arm."

She wiped away the blood and wrapped the gash in gauze before tying it off. "There. Ready when you are, Captain."

"How long do you think it will take us to get to engineering?" He asked, walking with the phaser ready to defend.

"I made the walk from the elevator to engineering in under ten minutes, but that's assuming the ship is still intact through this corridor." She said.

"I just want one mission where my poor ship doesn't fall apart." Kirk complained.

"Maybe if you picked your battles a little better you wouldn't be in these ship destroying situations."

Kirk raised an eyebrow at her. "Now I get it. Bones likes you because your sarcasm is worse than his."

Raylene snorted. "I was giving you free advice. Do with it what you will."

"Remind me never to hang out with you and Bones at the same time." Kirk groaned.

"Yes, captain." She replied.

* * *

A/N: The story starts to pick up from here so I'm hoping for more reviews or at least more follows and favorites. Thank you for sticking with me this far! I promise it gets better. Let me know what you think or what you would like to see happen.


	6. Chapter 6

On the bridge, the Enterprise crew had been forced to one side as the crew of the other ship aimed their weapons at them. A male figure stood in front of the group and seemed to be the leader. He was tall and big and most likely had a mean streak to go with his physical qualities. Sulu was sizing him up, thinking he could take him with the right strategy, when the side hatch on the bridge opened to welcome in a new person.

Two men carrying guns were followed by a woman with tanned skin and golden eyes. She was taller than average and carried herself like a queen.

"Captain on the bridge." The big man turned to salute her.

"At ease, Gerard." The woman glanced at the Enterprise crew. "So, this is the best crew in the fleet? I thought they were pretty easy to take out don't you agree?"

"Yes—"

"That was rhetorical Gerard." She glared at him and the big man stared at the floor.

"Now, who here is the captain?" She asked.

Sulu looked at the others before stepping forward. "I am."

The woman grinned. "Really? You don't look like the cutie I was talking to before. You must be acting captain, then."

She stepped closer to Sulu and circled him like a panther, playing with its prey. She scanned the others before speaking again. "Where is the real captain?"

"I am the real captain." Sulu said.

The smile receded from the woman's face. "You know what I really don't like?" She leaned in close to his face. "People who lie to me."

Sulu stayed silent.

The woman pulled away, looked at her crew, and began to laugh. She turned a small circle, then she whipped back around and stabbed Sulu in the chest.

He cried out and began to fall to the floor as Uhura moved forward to catch him. They landed on the floor, both staring at the knife protruding from his chest. The blade had missed his heart, but the pain seared through him.

The woman spoke. "From now on, anyone that lies to me, dies. So, I ask again. Where is your captain?"

Uhura met Sulu's eyes and ignored the shake of his head when she began to speak. "He left the bridge after your transmission cut out. The elevator crashed right after that. I don't know if he made it out."

The woman looked at Uhura. "Thank you for being honest. Us girls have to stick together, you know."

Uhura stared at the woman until she moved away.

The woman turned to her crew. "Find the captain and bring him to me."

"Uh, how do we know which one the captain is?" A man said from the back.

The woman rolled her eyes. "He will be the only one in a yellow shirt. Now, go!"

The crew members scrambled from the bridge to begin searching for Kirk. The woman shook her head as she looked back to the Enterprise crew.

"It's so hard to find good help these days." She sighed, then stood straight. "Anyway, consider me your new acting captain since yours is bleeding on the floor there."

She waltzed over to the captain's chair, sitting down gently to feel the plush leather support her body. She took a deep breath as she relaxed more into the chair.

"Thea Cady, captain of the USS Enterprise." She said. "I could get used to that."

"What do you plan to do with us?" Uhura asked.

Thea swiveled around to face her. "I have small plans for you, but much larger, more fantastic plans for Starfleet."

Sulu groaned as he shifted his body.

Thea met his gaze. "I hope you can stick around to see how this ends."

* * *

The hallways, usually bustling with people, were eerily quiet as Kirk and Raylene made their way to engineering. On their walk, Raylene had helped three crew members with injuries and told them to find a room to stay in together. They had to use one detour to walk around a damaged portion of the ship, but they had nearly made it to the doors to engineering in twenty minutes.

They were about to round the corner of a new hallway when they heard footsteps. Kirk paused before the corner and waited a moment, trying to guess if they were his crew members, or the enemy crew. Raylene pressed herself against the wall next to Kirk. He met her gaze asking her opinion and Raylene shrugged not knowing who it was coming toward them. The footsteps grew nearer, and Kirk decided to aim quickly and hope for the best. Raylene clenched her teeth in anticipation. At the last second, Kirk stepped around the corner with his phaser up.

"Damn it! Don't shoot!" A familiar voice yelled.

Raylene quickly looked around the corner. "Leonard?"

"Raylene!" He rushed toward her as she did the same. They met between the two groups in a hug, each holding on tightly to the other.

"I thought you were dead." McCoy squeezed her to him.

"I tried to make it back to med bay, but the elevator dropped, and we were trapped in the elevator shaft."

"Yeah, her knowledge of the ship and the emergency action plans was the only thing that saved us." Kirk admitted.

Raylene pulled away from McCoy to smile at Kirk. "You did all the heavy lifting, captain. Give yourself some credit."

"It is good to see you, captain. I'm glad you made it off the bridge when you did." Spock said.

"Thanks, Spock. It's good to see you, too."

"Where do we go from here?" Chekov asked.

"Left." McCoy and Raylene said at the same time. They smiled at each other.

Kirk exhaled. "If this is how the rest of the mission is gonna go, then I'm staying here."

"Oh, quit your complaining, Jim, and lead us to engineering. Left down that hallway and a right at the end." McCoy replied.

"The doctor is correct in his directions." Spock affirmed.

"Fine. Follow me." Kirk marched down the hallway with Chekov following quickly behind him, then Spock.

McCoy kept Raylene back a moment then turned and kissed her hard on the lips. He held her closer to deepen the kiss until they were both breathless.

When they finally pulled away from each other, Raylene smiled widely.

"What was that for?"

"I was really worried about you, and I thought I would never see you again." McCoy said, rubbing his thumb across her hand as he held it.

Raylene placed a hand to his cheek to force him to look at her. "I'm not going anywhere. Okay?"

"Okay," he agreed.

"Come on," she pulled him down the hall, "we have to catch up."

They walked quickly to catch up to the group and fell into step with them just as Kirk reached the doors to engineering. He pressed in the override code and the doors opened to reveal mass chaos with engineers running around frantically. A few electrical fires had started in places and crew members with fire extinguishers raced to put them out.

Suddenly, they could hear yelling growing louder as the person approached them. Scotty appeared from behind a large cylinder, giving orders to two other engineers. He saw Kirk and company and walked toward them.

"What have you done to my ship?" Scotty demanded.

"Whoa, Scotty. I didn't do this." Kirk held up his hands.

"Well, you're in charge, so yes you did."

"They fired at us while we were in warp. How do you explain that Scotty?"

"Are you kidding? There is an older version of the man standing next to you from another timeline and you're wondering how someone could figure out how to fire at a ship in warp!" Scotty argued.

"Mr. Scott has a point." Spock inserted.

"Enough! Both of you," Kirk yelled. "All that matters is someone has taken over the Enterprise and we need to get her back."

Raylene leaned toward McCoy and whispered, "Now, that's a leader."

McCoy furrowed his brows at her but didn't comment.

"What's our first step?" Kirk asked.

Scotty huffed. "We need to fix leaks in the cooling system, repair the electrical connections in some places, and double check the integrity of the warp core."

"Alright," Kirk looked around the group, "Spock, Chekov, and I will assist Scotty with repairs. Bones and Raylene I want you to check all the injured crew members and heal the ones you can. Set up a makeshift hospital somewhere out of the way and we will bring patients to you."

"Yes, sir." Raylene answered.

"Get to work. The sooner we fix the Enterprise, the sooner we can be on our way." Kirk said.

Scotty led Spock, Chekov, and Kirk into the direction of the warp core, while McCoy and Raylene found a bare corner to set up a hospital. Soon, injured crew members began showing up to the area and Raylene and McCoy lost themselves in their work.

* * *

A/N: Hope you're enjoying! Feel free to ask me questions about my writing choices or just tell me what you like!


	7. Chapter 7

Raylene tightened the bandage on the engineer in front of her. The girl winced and gritted her teeth.

"Sorry. I don't have enough pain medication to give to everyone." Raylene told her.

"It's okay, doc. I can take it." The young girl affirmed.

Raylene smiled. "You're a tough girl. Once this is over, come straight to med bay and I'll fix your leg correctly."

"Yes, doctor."

Raylene nodded and moved away from the girl toward the medical table she and McCoy had set up. She removed the gloves she put on to treat the girl and looked around for someone else to help.

"Ray, get over here." McCoy called from across the way. Raylene jogged toward McCoy and surveyed the patient when she reached his side. The engineer had been impaled with a hollow pipe and the hole in the center allowed the blood to flow quickly out of his body.

"We need to remove the pipe." McCoy stated.

"How do you want to do this?"

"Let's give him a dose of pain killers and something to bite on, then I'll hold him down while you pull out the pipe."

"Yes, doctor." Raylene returned to the table and grabbed the necessary items. She hurried back to McCoy and handed him the hypo. He injected the medication into the engineer before he began instructing him.

"Put this towel in your mouth to bite on. I gave you a stronger pain reliever, but this is gonna hurt." McCoy warned.

The engineer nodded and stuffed the towel into his mouth. Raylene rubbed his arm, trying to reassure him. McCoy shifted his body to allow Raylene access to the pipe.

"Ready?" He asked.

Raylene nodded and gripped the pipe.

"On three," said McCoy. "One. Two. Three!"

Raylene ripped the pipe from the man's stomach as he cried out. The sound came out muffled by the towel, but everyone knew he was in major pain.

Raylene covered the hole with her hands while McCoy grab rolls of gauze. He stuffed the injury full of gauze before wrapping a bandage around the man. The engineer laid barely conscious in front of them as they finished wrapping him up. McCoy and Raylene made sure he was comfortable on the floor with his head propped up on a blanket.

Realizing everyone had been cared for, Raylene and McCoy went back to the medical table.

"How are you feeling?" McCoy asked her.

"I'm okay, Leonard."

"You don't have to pretend. If you need a break, then take one."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but a doctor's work is never done. You know that."

McCoy faced her. "As long as you're okay."

Raylene wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm fine. If anyone needs a break, it's you."

McCoy avoided her gaze.

"And since you won't take one either, stop telling me." Raylene pressed a kiss to his lips then smiled. "I love you, but you can't stop me from being who I am."

"I love you, too." He said.

Raylene let go of him, returning her attention to taking inventory of the medical supplies they had left.

Suddenly, the signal went off to introduce a ship wide broadcast.

"Hello, remaining crew members of the Enterprise. This is your new captain speaking. I'm Thea Cady, an ex-Starfleet officer with something to say.

"I want to destroy Starfleet. I know that seems like an _impossible_ plan, but I have some good ideas and a few tricks up my sleeve. Why do I want to destroy Starfleet, you ask? Because they abandoned me on a foreign planet and decided I was dead. And not just me. My entire crew is composed of the members of Starfleet that were left behind because that was easier than rescuing someone." Thea laughed over the intercom.

"I hope you people don't plan anything stupid because I really hate violence, but I'm not afraid of it. Also, if you see your captain, let me know. I can't wait to meet him. Cady out." The intercom cut out, leaving the crew members confused and scared of what would happen next.

* * *

Kirk appeared from behind a wall of electronics and ran toward McCoy and Raylene.

"Shouldn't you be hiding?" McCoy joked.

"I think I can handle it, Bones." Kirk replied.

"Just saying. Crazy women are the worst." McCoy stared wide eyed at Kirk to emphasize his point.

"What do you know about crazy women?" Raylene questioned.

McCoy choked and sputtered. "Oh, uh. Nothing, sweetheart. I've just seen other men deal with crazy women."

"Good recovery," Kirk said, laughing. McCoy shot him a dirty look.

Raylene shook her head. "Did you need something, captain?"

"Yes, I wanted to check on your progress. Scotty has almost finished all the repairs, but we have to find a way to release that anchor." Kirk supplied.

"How do you plan to do that?" asked McCoy.

"I'm not sure yet. Can you meet us in ten minutes?"

"We'll be there," said Raylene.

Kirk walked back the way he came, leaving Raylene and McCoy to finish packing their gear. Raylene focused on keeping a mental inventory of the supplies she still had but hoped to pick up more from the other emergency med kits.

"Can you believe that woman?" McCoy spoke.

"What woman?"

"The crazy lady in control of our ship."

"You should know better than to throw around the term crazy on just anyone, doctor." She said.

"Yeah, but she took over our ship because she has a problem with her boss. If everyone threw a fit when they had a problem with their boss, then no one would be working." He explained.

"She's not throwing a fit. She committed treason because she thought that was the only way to get _her boss_ to listen." Raylene felt a sudden anger building inside of her.

"There are other ways to make a point."

"Not when you're left with only one option."

"Why are you siding with them?" McCoy challenged.

"Because I was one of them!" Raylene shouted. McCoy froze, suddenly aware of why his argument bothered her so much.

"Or did you forget that I was left to die, by Starfleet, and forced to watch my crew members be tortured to death in front of me. Maybe this Cady woman is a little extreme, but if she went through half of the stuff I went through, I can understand her rage toward Starfleet." Raylene glared at McCoy.

"Raylene, I—" He began.

"Save it," she cut him off, "You don't understand." She turned away from him and stomped in the opposite direction. She disappeared from his sight and McCoy felt his heart rip out of his chest. The thought never crossed his mind that Raylene could have easily been on the ship that took over the Enterprise. His memories of the cave where he met her had been replaced by the happy memories they had made on the Enterprise. It never occurred to him that her memories were plagued with thoughts of torture and death.

He sighed and hung his head, guilt creeping into his thoughts. Deciding to give her some space, McCoy moved to meet Kirk and the others to discuss an escape plan. He knew the moment he saw her again he needed to apologize and given the chance he would hold her close and tell her how much he loved her.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the late update! I've been super busy this week! Hope you all enjoy this chapter and as always read and review or favorite/follow. Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I hope everyone is enjoying my story! I try to update on the same day each week as I finish the chapters. My favorite characters to write for are McCoy (obviously) and Kirk. I try to capture their bickering as close as I can. Please keep reading and maybe leave a review, or favorite and follow. Even if you don't I appreciate everyone who checks in each week to read my story. Love you guys! Live long and prosper!

* * *

The group gathered around the warp core, waiting to create a plan to take back the Enterprise. Kirk stood at the front of the group looking for the last two members to show up. Scotty jogged around the corner to join them.

"I'm here. What'd I miss?" He asked.

"Nothing," replied Kirk. "What are our options in taking back the Enterprise?"

"Forgive me, captain, but where is Dr. Hobbs." Spock asked. McCoy almost spoke but stopped when he heard her speak.

"Right here," came her reply as she walked into view. She glanced at McCoy before returning her attention to Kirk. "Sorry I'm late. Please continue."

Kirk looked at McCoy then back to her and decided to ignore it. "We know that the Enterprise is being held in place by an anchor attached by two points on the ship. How do we remove the anchor?"

"We could beam over to the other ship and disable it." Chekov suggested.

"The anchor broke through the hull and attached from the inside. Disabling it doesn't guarantee it will release the ship," said Scotty.

"What if we cut the anchor from the inside?" Raylene offered.

Scotty thought a moment. "That could work. Parts of the ship would have to be sealed off until we could make repairs, but that wouldn't be too much of a problem."

"Dr. Hobbs is correct. Cutting the anchor from the inside would release the Enterprise without more damage," said Spock.

"If we cut the anchor won't that leave a gaping hole in the hull and then we would suffocate and freeze when the vacuum of space sucks the air out of the ship?" McCoy questioned.

"We can use the airlock suits from engineering and seal off the places where the anchor is attached. Once it's cut, the anchor releases, we keep that area sealed, and make repairs when we have control of the ship." Raylene explained, her eyes daring McCoy to tell her otherwise.

McCoy stared at her a moment, then conceded. "Alright."

Raylene raised her chin in triumph and turned to Kirk. "Do you approve of the plan?"

"If you think it will work, I'm on board. We will have to separate into two groups to release the anchor at the same time."

"I believe it best if Mr. Scott stays in engineering to monitor our progress." Spock said.

"Fine. Me, Bones and Raylene will go to one anchor point and you and Chekov go to the other."

"With all due respect, captain," Raylene spoke. "I think I should go with commander Spock and Chekov should go with you."

"Really?" Kirk asked, confused. He glanced at McCoy to see his eyes wide.

"It makes logical sense that each group would have a doctor in case something goes wrong. Don't you agree commander?" Raylene turned to Spock for help.

Spock nodded. "Dr. Hobbs makes a valid point. I will go with her and Mr. Chekov can go with you."

McCoy couldn't decide who to express his anger at. Between his infuriating girlfriend and the no good, green blooded hobgoblin that stood next to her, he felt his body would rip in half if he stood there any longer.

"Well, that's settled. We better move quick before the crazy lady in charge decides to do something drastic." He shot a look toward Raylene, then turned away, pretending to organize his bag.

Kirk ignored Bones and grabbed his phaser. "Stay out of sight and call us if you run into trouble."

"Good luck, captain." Spock said.

"You, too, Spock." Kirk nodded his respect before leading his group in the opposite direction.

Spock turned to Raylene to find her staring at him.

"Ready when you are, sir." She said.

Spock drew his phaser and lead the way toward the other end of the anchor. Although the anchor was relatively small, the two groups were separated by 100 yards of hallways, decks, and rooms. Raylene decided the more space she put between herself and McCoy, the better she would feel about their argument.

* * *

Kirk, Chekov, and McCoy climbed out of the emergency hatch to the next deck level and continued walking toward the anchor point. The trip had been silent between the three of them, but Kirk didn't enjoy silence.

"What the hell did you do?" He asked McCoy.

"What are you talking about?" McCoy deflected, knowing what Kirk meant.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. I gave Raylene a chance to spend time with you after your little separation, and she switched groups to be with Spock. Your girlfriend chose Mr. No-Sense-of-Humor over you! How does that make you feel?" Kirk pressed.

McCoy grit his teeth trying to ignore his friend. "Just drop it, Jim."

"Come on," he whined. "She put you in your place and you're not gonna tell me what happened?"

His anger bubbled over. "We had a fight, okay!? I said some stupid things, she got mad, and now my girlfriend is walking around with an uppity academic instead of being with me."

The silence returned as Chekov and Kirk avoided saying anything. Kirk watched McCoy's anger evaporate as they continued walking and he decided talking about the problem was the only solution.

"I'm sorry, Bones," he placed a hand on McCoy's shoulder and squeezed.

McCoy sighed. "It's my fault."

"Can I ask what the fight was about?" Chekov wondered.

"We were talking about the people who took over our ship and I said they were crazy. I said they were just mad at their boss and taking it out on us. Then she said they didn't have a choice, so I asked how she could side with them, and she said it's because she was one of them." McCoy paused as Kirk and Chekov grew wide-eyed with her argument.

"I mean it was right there in front of me and I completely ignored that she was abandoned on a planet by Starfleet, and the only reason she survived is because we happened to be there. She could have been just like those people, Jim." McCoy looked up at his friend, tears in his eyes.

The weight of Raylene's situation suddenly hit all of them and Kirk searched his brain for a reply that made sense.

"But she isn't," he began. "Maybe it was a happy accident, or a lucky break that we found that planet, but we found it and you found her. She is one of the lucky ones that got a second chance at life. Maybe she's mad at you right now because you didn't see her perspective, but that's because you see her as she is now and not how she used to be. Raylene will never forget what happened to her on that planet, but that doesn't mean she won't move past it. Give her some time. And make sure you apologize the next time you see her."

Kirk shoved McCoy playfully in the shoulder. McCoy smiled slightly at his friend.

"Thanks, Jim." He said.

"No problem," Kirk smiled. "And you should know that I'm on her side every time. She scares me."

"As she should." McCoy laughed.

The men continued toward the anchor point, only thirty yards away from the damaged section of the ship.

* * *

On the other side of the ship, Spock and Raylene were fitting into their airlock suits, about to enter the second damaged section. Spock pulled the suit over his shoulders and zipped the front to encase himself in the dark blue fabric meant to keep him alive. Raylene stood a few feet away pulling on her suit with unnecessary force. Spock noticed her movements and her facial expression.

"Would you like some help, doctor?" He asked.

"No, thank you, commander. I am capable of putting on an airlock suit." Raylene pulled the zipper to her neck, forcefully.

"Is there something else bothering you?"

Raylene huffed and met his gaze. "Why does something have to be wrong other than our ship was taken over and our friends, including your girlfriend, are being held hostage?"

"I see," Spock stared at the ground for a moment, "I assumed something had happened between you and Dr. McCoy, but it appears I am wrong."

Raylene relaxed slightly at the mention of McCoy. "We had a fight. I know now I probably over reacted, but he didn't even think how I could easily be one of these people."

"In the sense that you were abandoned on a planet like Ms. Cady and you could have been a member of her crew?" He questioned.

Raylene through her hands up, exasperated. "How do you know exactly what I mean, but Leonard looks at me like I'm an idiot?"

"Being from Vulcan, I engage in a higher thinking compacity than most species. It could be Dr. McCoy did not make the connections as easily as I did, but he still might understand the weight of the situation. Did you explain to him why you were upset?" Spock said.

"I mean kind of." Raylene shrugged.

"Did you allow him to apologize once he understood the severity of your disagreement?"

"Not really." Raylene stared at the floor.

"My advice would be to give Dr. McCoy the opportunity to apologize before condemning the relationship," Spock touched a hand to her shoulder, "Leonard is a good man. He would do anything to make you happy."

Raylene looked Spock in the eye and sighed. "I hate that you're always right."

"Though it is unlikely my correctness is one hundred percent, it is safe to assume I am more often right than wrong." Spock replied.

"Now you're just being smug." Raylene picked up her helmet and locked it into place. "Come on, commander. Time to release the big fish."


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Sorry this update is a few days late. I hope you enjoy this next chapter! Thank you for continuing to read!

* * *

"Group one standing by at anchor point one." Kirk said into his communicator.

"Dr. Hobbs and I are in position at anchor point two." Spock replied.

"Alright, lady and gents, you need to cut the anchor points close to the same time to get the best separation from their ship." Scotty informed from his position in engineering.

"The laser cutters will cut through three meters of solid steel at a time. I calculated the anchor point to have a six-meter diameter, so we will have to cut around in a circle to get the best cut," said Spock.

"The commander is right. Ready with the cutters?" Scotty asked.

"Ready," said Kirk.

"Affirmative," said Spock.

"Begin cutting in three, two, one." Scotty instructed.

The red beam of the laser shot out toward the metal, melting the first layer of steel until it pierced through and began cutting. Raylene stood back, watching Spock move methodically around the anchor until he was close to the starting point. She checked the safety wires holding them to the inside of the ship as she prepared for the anchor to release.

Spock reached the point where he started, and the anchor shuddered before breaking in half. The Enterprise gave a groan as both pieces of the anchor fell away and an empty hole was left in the ceiling. Raylene moved toward the door to return to airlock and pulled Spock toward her by the safety wire.

Once inside the door, Spock closed it and the air returned to the section and Spock and Raylene took off their suits.

"Congratulations," Scotty said. "The Enterprise is free."

"Rendezvous back at engineering for part two of the plan." Kirk directed.

Raylene and Spock moved to leave the section, when the door suddenly opened to reveal multiple enemy crew members standing in front of them. Raylene pressed the button on her communicator like she was talking to allow Kirk and the others to hear what was happening.

"Come with us." One guard said.

"Where are you taking us?" Spock asked.

"To the bridge. You are now prisoners of Captain Cady."

"Ms. Cady is not the captain of this ship."

"She has taken control of this ship, so that makes her captain."

Raylene looked around at the people in front of her. All were men except for one girl standing near the back. She was small, but her face held a determined stare like she believed in what she was doing. Raylene understood why McCoy hadn't made the connection between her and this crew. Raylene didn't believe in what these people were doing. She was nothing like them.

Yes, she hated Starfleet when she was trapped on the planet, but the moment she returned they had awarded her medals for valor and service and made her a doctor officially on the Enterprise. She was given a second chance and maybe if these people were too, they would better serve Starfleet.

Spock continued arguing with the guard until the gun raised in his face.

"Don't shoot him!" Raylene stepped between Spock and the man. "We'll go with you."

The guard sneered at Raylene before instructing the others to grab her and Spock and lead them to the bridge. Raylene hoped Kirk had heard the whole thing and had a plan to save them. And, she hoped Leonard wouldn't do anything stupid knowing she had been captured again.

* * *

Kirk, Chekov, and McCoy were walking back to engineering when Kirk's communicator beeped. He raised it to talk when he heard an unfamiliar voice come over the speaker.

"_Come with us."_

Kirk stopped moving and turned to the other men. "It's Raylene's code."

McCoy grew wide eyed at the information and listened closely to the conversation.

"_You are now prisoners of Captain Cady."_

"_Ms. Cady is not the captain of this ship."_ They recognized Spock speaking.

Kirk took a breath and closed his eyes. "It should've been me."

"It doesn't matter now. We released the anchor." Chekov tried to sound cheerful.

"Damn it, Jim! They took her. I knew I should've stayed with her." McCoy grumbled.

"It's not my fault you pissed off your girlfriend and she chose to go with another guy." Kirk complained.

McCoy almost punched him, when they next sound on the communicator made them stop.

"_Don't shoot him!"_ Raylene spoke. _"We will go with you."_

McCoy's heart stopped beating for a moment as the shuffling of feet sounded over the communicator and then the signal cut out.

The three men stared at each other for a moment, no one knowing what to say about the situation. Kirk put his communicator away and regained his composure.

"We have to finish the plan." He said.

"How?" McCoy asked. "Our plan needed five people and now we are down to three. And of the two that were taken, one is the strongest and smartest person on board, and one is Vulcan."

"Isn't commander Spock the strongest and smartest on board?" Chekov questioned.

McCoy shot him a glare that made Chekov freeze. "Not the time, kid."

Chekov nodded and avoided McCoy's gaze.

Kirk stood off to the side thinking over a new plan while McCoy fumed, and Chekov stared at the ground. The anchor was no longer an issue, but it would be difficult to take back the ship with only three people, four including Scotty. Kirk's reputation implied he was risky and impulsive, and he decided to use that to his advantage.

"I have an idea." Kirk said, walking away toward engineering.

McCoy and Chekov paused a moment before rushing after him.

"Are you going to share this idea?" McCoy asked.

"Didn't plan on it." Kirk said over his shoulder.

"And how are we supposed to help you if we don't know the plan?"

"I'll fill you in when we get to engineering. You only need to know a few parts."

McCoy rolled his eyes. "Well that's just typical."

The men continued walking to engineering, careful to avoid any other guards roaming around the ship.

* * *

Back in engineering, Kirk, McCoy, Chekov, and Scotty circled up for plan making party number two. Kirk paced back and forth, gesturing randomly and talking to himself. McCoy considered declaring him medically insane, when Kirk faced the group and laid out his plan.

"I'm going to turn myself over to them."

McCoy raised an eyebrow. "That's your genius plan?"

Kirk's excitement deflated. "I thought it was better than nothing."

"Is there more to the plan, maybe?" Chekov asked.

"Well, yeah," Kirk crossed his arms, pouting. "But, you didn't let me finish."

"By all means, finish the ridiculous thought that goes along with turning yourself over to crazy people." McCoy said, annoyed.

"As I was saying," began Kirk. "I turn myself over to them, but you guys create a diversion that allows me to get our crew off the bridge and to safety. Once we're all together, we take back the bridge, report to Starfleet, and send Cady and her crew to prison for the rest of their lives."

"What kind of distraction do ya have in mind?" Scotty asked, grinning like a little kid about to cause trouble.

"I leave that to your interpretation, Mr. Scott."

"If Chekov can hack into the system, we could fire torpedoes from here at their ship. Our aim might be a little off, but I'm sure we could get their attention." Scotty wrung his hands, pleased with himself.

"How will we know when to fire?" McCoy questioned.

"Give me five minutes after they capture me and hopefully by then I could get something going." Kirk said.

"How are you gonna get at least ten people to safety with no weapons? I'm sure Cady has guards with her on the bridge." McCoy said.

"Don't worry about it, Bones. Everything will turn out fine." Kirk slapped him on the shoulder to reassure him. "Besides, I've got the best CMO in the fleet as my right-hand man."

"That's exactly why I'm worried. Just because I'm good at my job doesn't mean you have to test my skills."

Kirk turned serious for a moment. "I promise I'll do whatever I can to get Raylene out."

"I know, Jim." McCoy nodded his head in affirmation.

Kirk looked back at Scotty and Chekov and smiled. "Well, boys. Good luck. See ya on the other side."

"Don't let 'em see ya cry when they take you." Scotty teased.

"Thanks for the advice, Scotty." Kirk turned away from his crew members and walked out of engineering. He started banging on walls and shouting for someone to come find him. He took his regular annoyingness and cranked it up to the max.

Finally, he saw a few guards come around the corner from another hallway and aim their guns quickly at him. Kirk threw up his hands in surrender and let them escort him back to his bridge.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: TONIGHT'S SPECIAL: A TWO CHAPTER POST!

I finished Chapters 10 and 11 so I decided to put both up tonight! Thanks to those who have read from the beginning and read my other story _Saving Doctor_ McCoy!

* * *

The group of guards led Spock and Raylene onto the bridge and shoved them forward. Raylene looked at the Enterprise crew gathered on one side and saw Sulu nearly unconscious on the floor with a knife protruding from his chest. She needed to help him, knowing if he stayed like that much longer he could bleed to death.

A woman stood from the captain's chair and Raylene recognized her as Cady.

"Hello, new friends," she sing-songed. Welcome to my ship. I'm Captain Cady."

Spock and Raylene stayed silent.

Cady frowned. "It's rude not to introduce yourselves. As you can see, I'm not a very patient woman." She gestured to Sulu on the floor.

Raylene glanced between them and spoke up. "I'm Dr. Raylene Hobbs and this is Commander Spock. He doesn't say much."

Spock glared at Cady and kept his mouth shut to prove her point.

"Oh, good. A doctor. Looks like you're in luck, sweetheart." Cady said to Sulu.

"Will you let me heal him?" Raylene asked.

"If you could stop him from bleeding on my floor that would be great. I would hate to have a messy ship when Starfleet comes." Cady studied her nails, uninterested in Raylene or the others.

Raylene moved slowly to Sulu and removed her med kit from her shoulder. The knife had stuck perfectly between his ribs but hadn't appeared to pierce the lung. Raylene put on her latex gloves and studied the knife.

"I didn't want to remove it and cause more damage." Uhura said.

"That's good. It's okay that you left it alone. It created a natural plug for the hole. If you would have removed it, he could have bled out faster." Raylene explained.

"It still hurts, doc." Sulu groaned, reminding them he was still there.

"I know. It will probably feel worse when I pull it out." She dug around in her med kit for a pain reliever and found the last one in the bottom. She prepared the hypo and stuck it in his neck.

"I'm gonna pull this out and then the best I can do right now is stuff the wound and wrap it tight until we can get to med bay." Raylene said, getting a grip on the knife.

"I understand. Do it." Sulu said, staring at the ceiling to avoid seeing the knife come out of his chest.

"On three," said Raylene. "One. Two. Three!" She ripped the knife from his chest and Sulu let out a scream.

Raylene quickly pulled his shirt up his torso to get a better look at the wound and wipe the blood that had crusted over in places. Once the area was clean, she packed gauze into the hole and wrapped it until it was secure. Uhura smoothed Sulu's hair as he calmed down.

When Raylene finished with him, she turned to face Cady. The captain began clapping slowly and smiled.

"You're very impressive, doctor. How long have you been in Starfleet?" Cady asked.

"Almost a year."

"A new recruit? How fortunate. Tell me, do you like Starfleet?"

"Yes, but I have to say I understand where you're coming from." Raylene approached Cady and Gerard tried to step between them. Cady put up her hand to stop him.

"And how is that?" Cady asked, curiosity dancing in her eyes.

"Starfleet abandoned me on a planet. I only escaped because the Enterprise crew found me."

"So, you know what it's like to be one of us! You can join us doctor. I could always use some more female power on my ship."

Raylene shook her head. "That's not the point. The point is I got a second chance from Starfleet. They made me a doctor and let me be on this ship."

"It was pity!" Cady spat. "I don't want pity. I want retribution. I want Starfleet to suffer like I did."

"You can't condemn all of Starfleet for one mistake." Raylene argued.

Cady raised her head in defiance. "You really think Starfleet is just and peace seeking? On my starship, I was the lieutenant commander. I did a lot of pointless jobs, but I did them because I was loyal to my captain. Then, Starfleet sent us into deep space to explore a region only monitored once before.

"My captain was excited, but I was wary of our orders. Soon we were attacked by a Draulzidian ship and commanded to abandon ship. I escaped in a shuttle with Gerard and a few others." Cady looked at Gerard, then back to Raylene.

"We landed on an uninhabited planet and spent three days trying to find food and water, hoping Starfleet would send help for us. On the third day, the Draulzids found us on the planet's surface, captured us, and took us back to their planet. They tortured us for weeks before forcing us to take part in their games." Cady's face grew dark as she replayed her past in her head.

"Day after day we were forced to fight other prisoners, until the only one's left from my crew were me and Gerard. That was when I knew Starfleet wasn't coming. That was when I decided to be my own captain."

Cady stepped closer until she stood nose to nose with Raylene. "We escaped because we gave up on hope and decided to fight for ourselves. Starfleet doesn't deserve people like us. People like you."

Raylene glared back at Cady, never wavering from her gaze. "I'm nothing like you. The Enterprise has shown me that."

Cady stepped back and smiled. "I'm glad your vision of Starfleet has been restored. It will make it so much better when I burn it all down."

"You don't have to do this," Raylene began. "Let us report you to Starfleet and tell them you're alive. Let them fix what happened."

"You still don't get it." Cady huffed. "I don't want to fix it! I don't want to be reinstated and put on another ship, so I can continue to serve the people who turned their backs on me."

Raylene continued to argue. "It was an accident! Starfleet didn't know what was out there. You were in unknown space. No one knew you would be attacked. We take that risk every day we are on this ship, but we do it because we love the unknown."

Cady scowled at Raylene. She couldn't think of a reply to her argument. Cady walked quickly toward Raylene, ready to strike her, when a noise stopped her.

A group of guards entered the bridge escorting the one and only James T. Kirk.

Cady grew instantly excited at seeing the blond-haired captain being brought toward her. "The man I've been waiting for. Hello, captain."

Kirk held eye contact. "Listen, I appreciate what you're doing, but can I get my ship back?"

Cady moved toward him. "We just met and you're already trying to get rid of me? That's disappointing. I thought we could become closer. Much closer." She rubbed a hand across his chest as she circled him.

Kirk glanced sideways at her as she stood just behind his shoulder. "I have enough friends and I get in enough trouble with women, so I think I'm good."

"Ha! I heard you were funny."

"What else does my reputation say?"

Cady stepped in front of him. "I've heard you have a problem with authority. I hope that doesn't become a problem between us."

Kirk smiled, slightly. "I don't think you'll be here long enough for it to affect our relationship."

"You underestimate me, captain." Cady grew serious, crossing her arms in anger.

Kirk glanced around at his crew. "No, I think you underestimated me."

Suddenly, the ship shook, and alarms went off on the control panel. A member of Cady's crew pushed at buttons, frantically.

Cady turned to the crew member. "What the hell is going on?"

"Torpedoes were fired on the starboard side at our ship. Someone locked us out of the firing systems from engineering." The crewman reported.

Cady flipped quickly to face Kirk. "What are you doing?"

"It's not me. I'm standing right here." Kirk smiled.

"Get to engineering now and find who is messing with our ship." Cady ordered.

Many of the guards took off to engineering leaving Kirk unattended. He ran at Cady and pushed her to the floor. Gerard moved toward Kirk, but Spock stepped between them and punched the larger man.

Kirk looked at his crew. "Everyone move!"


	11. Chapter 11

The Enterprise crew moved in a huddle toward the exit, shoving each other, while a few others broke off to take out the leftover guards. Raylene ran to Uhura and helped her with Sulu. Kirk and Spock fought a few guards as they made a path toward the group. Most of the guards had left the bridge at Cady's order, or were attempting to pick themselves up off the floor as the Enterprise crew made it to the hallway.

Other crew members took Sulu from Uhura and Raylene, and they turned around to help Kirk and Spock. The men had taken guns from the guards and shot at the few that followed them.

Kirk turned to give orders. "Their crew is going to engineering. We need to get to C Deck on Level 5. Move as fast as you can."

Raylene heard a noise and looked back toward the bridge to see Cady stomping toward them. Cady drew her gun and aimed at Kirk.

"Jim!" Raylene screamed as she pushed him out of the way. Cady fired the shot and it hit Raylene making her cry out.

Spock fired a few shots at Cady to give them cover as Kirk lifted Raylene to run to the rendezvous point. Cady ducked into another hallway for cover and let out a bone chilling yell filled with rage.

"Stay with me, Ray." Kirk said, glancing down at her. "Bones is waiting for you and I promised I would protect you."

Raylene didn't give an answer. She couldn't think beyond the pain and anger burning inside her. Cady didn't deserve a second chance at Starfleet, if anything she deserved a punch in the face for shooting her. The thought of Leonard waiting for her on C Deck made her focus on staying awake and alert, but the exhaustion of the day had caught up with her, and she fainted as Kirk continued to carry her to safety.

* * *

McCoy, Chekov, and Scotty rushed toward C Deck to meet up with Kirk and the rest of the Enterprise crew. The plan worked flawlessly on their end, causing damage to the enemy ship while successfully locking their crew out of the weapons system on the bridge. Chekov's code would take hours to break and Starfleet would pick up the distress signal they sent out long before then.

They came up to an intersection and turned to the left toward the mess hall on C Deck. Kirk thought meeting in a place with food and water was the best option for his crew after being captured for a few hours.

Scotty saw Kirk and the others first and called out. "It worked perfectly, sir."

Kirk looked up quickly at the men approaching. His face grew dim when he saw McCoy.

McCoy noticed the obvious tension among the crew and knew someone had been hurt. He scanned the crowd and saw Sulu leaning against the wall, a large red splotch on his shirt hinting at his injury. However, what caught McCoy's attention were the three people on the floor surrounding a body wearing a blue Starfleet uniform. The crowd parted as he approached, and he saw her.

_Raylene_.

"What happened to her?" McCoy questioned, dropping to his knees beside her.

No one spoke.

"What happened to her!?" He said again, more forcefully. His sharp tone broke the silence.

Kirk moved forward to explain. "Cady tried to shoot me, and she pushed me out of the way."

McCoy only half listened as he checked her vitals. Her pulse beat softly through the skin at her neck and her breathing, although shallow, seemed steady. McCoy lifted her shirt to examine her wound. The red, puffy flesh, located on the left side of her body, was about the size of a fist. It wasn't a fatal shot, but the combination of stress from the days events and lack of nutrition in the few hours they had been captured meant she was weaker than normal and at risk for infection.

"You promised me you would take care of her, Jim." McCoy growled.

"I know I did. I'm sorry." Kirk didn't try to defend his actions or hers. He knew McCoy was dangerously close to exploding and he needed to keep his cool if only for Raylene's sake.

Spock took the moment to interject his opinion. "Our best option would be to rest and recover in the mess hall. Dr. Hobbs would agree to that."

McCoy took a deep breath to calm himself. "Spock's right."

Kirk nodded. "Alright, let's move." He bent down to try and lift Raylene.

"Don't touch her." He grabbed Kirk's hand to stop him. "I've got her."

Kirk acknowledged his friend's decision and left him to carry Raylene. McCoy lifted her gently, but a small groan escaped her lips.

"I know, babe. I'm sorry. Just hold on." He walked behind the crowd of people as they entered the mess hall and staked out places to sit and rest.

Uhura cleared a table for him and he laid Raylene down on top of it. Her condition seemed stable, making him relax a little, but he knew it could change if he didn't take care of her. McCoy glanced at the other injured crew members and knew he had to be a doctor first and a concerned boyfriend second.

"If you don't have a serious injury, get over here." McCoy watched a few people come toward him. "I need all the medical equipment I can get. There should be med kits all along these hallways. Grab as many as you can and report back to me."

The crew members took off to the hallways to gather equipment, leaving McCoy alone with Raylene. He smoothed his hand over her hair and studied her face. She seemed peaceful, but he didn't want her that way. He wanted her screaming in his face if it meant she was alive and well.

Putting his concern to the back of his mind, McCoy entered doctor mode and grabbed the necessary items to help Raylene. He wiped the blood and liquid from her skin and sprayed her with a healing compound. She flinched slightly in her sleep and he squeezed her hand to reassure her. He covered the spot with a gauze pad and taped it to her skin. One of the crew members returned with the med kits and handed McCoy the supplies. McCoy took out a pain reliever and injected it into her neck.

"That's the best I can do, sweetheart." He kissed her forehead.

With nothing more to do, McCoy stared at her for a moment, not wanting to leave her side. Uhura came up beside him and touched his shoulder.

"I know you don't want to leave her, but other people need your help." She said. "I'll stay with her, if you like."

McCoy nodded his head. "Thank you, Uhura. Let me know if she wakes up, please."

"Of course," she replied.

McCoy picked up his med kit and moved on to help the others, starting with Sulu.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Sorry for the delay. I ran out of time yesterday for edits, so I saved the new chapter for today! Thanks to everyone still reading! Hope you enjoy!

* * *

After every member of the crew in the mess hall had been checked, McCoy sat down in a chair next to Raylene's unconscious body. He dismissed Uhura and she walked directly to Spock and hugged him. McCoy tried not to feel jealous at their happiness, but he couldn't help it. He wanted more than anything to be holding Raylene right now.

He reached out to take her hand and rubbed his thumb across it. "If I apologize now, does it still count?" He said, jokingly. She showed no sign of acknowledging him. He sighed heavily.

"I want you to know that I love you." He kissed her hand. "I love you so much, and I can't wait for you to wake up and tell me how awful I was, or yell at me for being a jackass."

When she didn't move, he put his head down next to her hip on the table. His hand continued to hold hers as he waited for her to wake up.

The time ticked by slowly until McCoy was nearly asleep on the table. Time had never moved slower for McCoy. He was used to waiting for patients to wake up from surgery or comas, but nothing compared to the dragging of time as he waited for Raylene to wake up.

A hand brushed his head and he looked up to snap at the person bothering him while he was clearly in a bad mood. He half expected Kirk to be standing over him, but when he looked up and his eyes focused he saw it wasn't Kirk. The hand belonged to Raylene.

McCoy stood quickly and hurried to check her vitals. "You're awake! Does anything hurt? How's your breathing? Do you feel nauseous?"

Raylene smiled slightly and squeezed his hand. "Calm down, Dr. McCoy. I'm okay."

"Are you sure? No dizziness or excessive sweating?" McCoy looked quickly up and down her body, wishing he was in med bay to scan her properly.

"Leonard," she said gently, "I'm alright."

"Good." He took a breath to calm himself. "I'm so sorry, Raylene. I—"

"Stop." She shook her head. "It's okay. Spock helped me realize I was being crazy."

"He did?" McCoy asked, raising an eyebrow at Spock's willingness to help him.

"Yes, so be nice to him for a while." She smiled and squeezed his hand.

McCoy glanced at Spock, silently thanking him for helping their relationship. He returned his attention to Raylene. "You had me worried. I thought I was gonna have to kill Jim for letting you get shot." He teased.

"It wasn't his fault. I pushed him out of the way. I got caught up being a doctor and forgot about my own safety." She admitted.

He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it again. "I can't lose you, Raylene. You're too important to me."

"It's okay, Leonard. I'm fine. We made it back to each other, that's all that matters." Raylene said. "Will you help me sit up?"

McCoy nodded and raised her into a sitting position. She swung her legs around until they hung off the edge of the table between her and McCoy.

He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and held her head in his hand. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Leonard McCoy." She watched him lean in until she felt his lips brush hers. They stayed like that for a long time, then someone cleared their throat behind them.

McCoy growled as he pulled away from her lips, making Raylene giggle. He turned around to face Kirk.

"What the hell do you want?" He questioned, his anger obvious.

Raylene grabbed McCoy by the arm and pulled him toward her. "Easy, doctor. He's still your superior."

"Yeah, a superior dumbass." He grumbled.

"I get it. I deserve the name calling and the snarky comments, but can we save that until after we get our ship back?" Kirk replied.

"As long as your next plan doesn't involve suicide missions or impossible stunts, I'm all in." McCoy said.

"Come on, Bones." Kirk clapped a hand on his shoulder. "It's like you don't even know me."

Kirk turned and walked back to Spock, leaving McCoy groaning and rolling his eyes.

"At least if we die, we'll die together." Raylene joked.

McCoy faced her. "I seriously hate your positivity sometimes."

"Pessimism looks worse on you." She kissed his cheek before scooting off the table to stand. "Let's go get our ship back."

"It's about time." McCoy put his arm around her shoulders as she put an arm around his waist. Together they walked over to the group of commanding officers to formulate another plan to take control of the ship.

They were the last one's to join the group consisting of Spock, Uhura, Sulu, Chekov, Scotty, and Kirk. Sulu sat in a chair, his chest freshly bandaged, and he nodded at Raylene.

"Good to see you, Dr. Hobbs." He said.

"You as well, Mr. Sulu." She replied.

"Now that everyone has joined us, what's the plan?" Kirk asked.

"You're asking for help?" McCoy questioned.

"You already shot down my ideas, so I'm opening the floor to new ones," said Kirk.

"Mr. Scott explained to me that he sent a distress signal to Starfleet," said Spock.

"How long until they reply?" Kirk asked.

"It could be a few hours depending on how close the next vessel is to our location." Scotty reported.

"The good news is the anchor was successfully removed, so if we could get control of the ship we could leave them in the dust." Kirk said.

"Except they shot us out of warp before, so what is keeping them from doing it again?" Raylene asked.

Kirk started to answer then stopped, realizing he didn't know.

"She has a point." McCoy acknowledged.

"It appears most of their crew is aboard the Enterprise. If we capture their crew and put them in the brig, we can guarantee our escape." Spock said.

"So, we capture their crew here and on their ship, reclaim the bridge, and meet up with Starfleet to put them in prison." Kirk laid out the plan.

The group nodded in agreement, all except McCoy, who was hesitant to try a forceful take over.

"Then we need two main groups. One to go to their ship and one to take the bridge here." Kirk said, looking at each member of the team. "Spock, Uhura, Scotty and Chekov, take a few others with you to the transporter room, beam over to their ship, and capture their crew. Sulu, Raylene, Bones, and I will take back the bridge, while the others capture the crew on board. Scotty tell your engineers to have the Enterprise ready to run."

"Aye, captain." Scotty said.

"Spock, return the crew members on the other ship to the brig here and we'll let you know when we have the bridge secured." Kirk glanced around. "Remember this is our ship and no one messes with us. Good luck."

Spock nodded his head at Kirk before leading his group to select a few other crew members to go with them. Kirk turned to Bones and Raylene.

"Are you two okay to work together this time?" He asked.

Raylene looked up at McCoy and smiled. "I think we can make it work."

"I'm not letting you out of my sight." McCoy hugged her to him and faced Kirk.

Kirk rolled his eyes. "You guys make me sick."

Raylene laughed at his disgust as he walked toward the group of red shirts to gather volunteers.

McCoy turned Raylene to face him, his face holding a serious expression. "Are you sure you're okay to do this?"

"Leonard, I'm fine. I'm a little sore, but a lot pissed off at Cady. We have to end this."

"Alright, spitfire." McCoy smiled at her. "Just know that when this is over, we're requesting a few days off and spending them locked in our room." He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in.

"Sounds wonderful," said Raylene, before pressing a kiss to his lips.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Sorry about the late update. I've started working more hours and didn't have time to revise and post. Thank you to the new followers and thank you to those who have been reading since I first posted! There is more to come for Raylene, McCoy, and the Enterprise crew!

* * *

The groups assembled at the door of the mess hall, ready to take back their ship. Spock and Scotty led their group toward the transporter room, while Kirk split off in the other direction. They picked up weapons along the way, finding discarded phasers in the halls and long-range rifles hidden in an emergency weapons vault Raylene pointed out. Armed and dangerous, the bridge crew stepped carefully toward the bridge, Kirk taking the lead.

He stopped everyone at the end of the hall, then peeked around the corner to see what they were up against.

Four guards stood outside the bridge entrance, two on either side of the door, and two pacing the hallway. Kirk studied their movements for a moment then turned to face his group of people.

"They have four guards blocking the doors. We need a small diversion." Kirk said.

Raylene thought a moment then dug around in her med bag for something. She pulled out an emergency flare and held it up to Kirk. "Something loud and bright perhaps?"

Kirk smiled at her. "I love you, Dr. Hobbs."

"Sorry, but I'm taken." She teased, glancing at McCoy, who looked unamused.

"Bones, you're my back up when these guys come around the corner. I need your bar brawling skills." Kirk explained.

"Fine. Usually, I have a few drinks before the fight breaks out, but I'm flexible." McCoy said, annoyed.

Kirk took the flare from Raylene and struck it. Brilliant red sparks shot out from the end as it sizzled and cracked in Kirk's hand. He threw it across the hall away from the group.

Soon, footsteps were heard getting closer to the hallway. One guard walked around the corner facing the flare on the other side. The other guard joined him as they studied the flare.

Kirk and McCoy moved in swiftly knocking the guards in the back of their heads with their guns. One guard went down immediately, but the other turned on McCoy and tried to fire at him. McCoy threw a punch into the guards' face and Kirk hit him over the head again, knocking him unconscious.

McCoy looked at Kirk. "You couldn't have hit him that hard the first time?"

"I was giving you a chance to look like a hero in front of your girlfriend." Kirk teased.

McCoy began to reply, but his attention turned to the other guards, who began shooting at him and Kirk. The men took cover on the opposite side of the hallway from the rest of their group. Kirk stood at the corner firing shots back as Sulu did the same thing from his side.

Raylene looked at McCoy across the hall and raised her gun to get his attention. "You and I go low."

McCoy nodded and crouched behind Kirk. Raylene ducked down behind Sulu and counted on her fingers to signal McCoy when to shoot. On three they leaned away from the cover of the hallway and fired at the guards.

The double shots threw them off and both guards were shot and went down.

Kirk looked at the men on the floor. "Nice shootin', doctors. And Mr. Sulu."

"So, do we just knock on the door and wait to be invited in?" Raylene asked.

"Or, you could turn around and greet your host." A voice said from behind them.

The group turned quickly and aimed their guns at Cady, standing in the doorway of the bridge.

"You're out gunned this time. How about you surrender, and we finish this in a civilized manner?" Kirk replied.

Cady cocked her head and gave a half laugh. "Really?"

She held up her right hand which had been tucked behind her back and revealed the bomb she had been hiding.

"Did I forget to mention Gerard is a chemical engineer? He designed this bomb and pitched the idea to Starfleet, but they said it was too dangerous. It's made from the same fluid that powers the warp core and concentrated for the highest damage percentage per square kilometer.

"If I were you captain," she stared directly at Kirk, "I would surrender to me."

Kirk lowered his gun, but stepped toward Cady, putting himself between her and his crew. "If you set that off, you die too."

"I know my responsibilities as captain," she raised the bomb toward him, "do you know yours?"

Kirk held her gaze, reading her body language. She looked steady, like she wasn't afraid to set the bomb off right at that moment. He had played a lot of cards in his day and he could read people well, knowing their tells for their bluffs.

Cady wasn't bluffing.

Kirk dropped his phaser. "Drop your weapons."

"Sir?" Sulu questioned.

"Do it." Kirk commanded.

The group dropped their weapons and put their hands up by their faces. Kirk led them onto the bridge past Cady, who smiled devilishly.

Sulu glared at her as he walked past. "Oh, sweetheart. Don't look at me like that. I didn't want to stab you, but you forced my hand."

Raylene followed the line, but Cady put an arm in front of her. "No hard feelings, sister. I was aiming at the blonde one, but you got in the way."

"I hope you know what you're doing because when this plan fails, I can't wait to watch them put you in a hole deep in the ground where you belong." Raylene spat.

Cady removed her arm, staring hard at Raylene. "You better watch it, doctor, or the next time I aim I won't miss."

"Exactly. Because if you do miss, you won't have another chance. I'd kill you in a second."

Cady nodded. "I'm glad we understand each other."

McCoy pushed Raylene forward and they joined their group next to the wall. He grabbed her by the arm and forced her to look at him. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"No, but she needs to know she can't break me." Raylene sneered.

"Save it for when a fight breaks out because God knows it's gonna happen."

"You're right. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. Just keep your cool."

Raylene agreed and stood silently behind him close to the wall, while Cady paced in front of the group toying with the bomb, casually. Gerard and two other members of their crew stood in the room, emphasizing the small numbers Kirk and his team were up against.

Being his usual easily bored self, Kirk grew tired of the silence and turned to Cady. "I don't see how suicide helps your plan, captain."

Cady approached him slowly, taking light steps like a big cat on the prowl. She stopped right in front of him and met his gaze. "If you can't see the big picture, I can't help you."

"Yeah, okay," Kirk rolled his eyes and turned back to his group. "I'm sorry for getting us recaptured."

"It's alright, captain." Sulu said.

"I just want you guys to know it's been an honor serving with you." Kirk said.

Raylene noticed he was being extra twitchy and hyperactive. She could tell something was about to happen. Before she could ask, McCoy dropped to a knee and messed with his combat boot, adjusting the string. When he stood back to his full height, Raylene noticed the miniature phaser in his palm. She averted her eyes to face forward and watched Kirk repeat the same motions McCoy had done. When Kirk stood, he held a miniature phaser in his hand.

The men locked eyes and nodded at each other.

And, then…


	14. Chapter 14

**_Raylene noticed the miniature phaser in his palm. She averted her eyes to face forward and watched Kirk repeat the same motions McCoy had done. When Kirk stood, he held a miniature phaser in his hand. _**

**_ The men locked eyes and nodded at each other._**

**_ And, then…_**

Kirk turned and shot at Gerard, while McCoy shot at the two other crew members. Gerard stumbled backward but stayed on his feet, the shot hitting him on his right shoulder. Gerard turned back to Kirk and charged him quickly, knocking the gun from Kirk's hand before he could shoot. McCoy's shots were more successful as both crew members went down.

Raylene, frozen in place, watching the events occur then turned her attention to Cady, when she realized there was another threat on the bridge. She looked in time to see Cady running from the bridge and down the hall.

Knowing the dangers if Cady escaped, Raylene ran after her.

The two women sprinted through the maze of hallways, dodging debris as they went. Cady stumbled allowing Raylene to gain a step on her. Raylene jumped at Cady and grabbed her by the waist, tackling her to the ground. The bomb Cady had been holding skidded further down the hallway when the women hit the floor.

Raylene, who laid on top of Cady, put her elbow on Cady's neck, pinning her to the floor. "You're under arrest."

Cady swung her fist and connected with Raylene's jaw, loosening her grip. Cady rolled the two of them over and pinned Raylene underneath her.

"Nice try, doctor, but maybe you should leave the fighting to the real brawlers."

"That's okay. I can handle myself." Raylene swung her head hard into Cady's and she recoiled in pain.

Raylene shoved Cady off her and got to her feet.

Cady looked up at Raylene from the floor. "It pains me to watch your potential go to waste for them. Starfleet doesn't know what they have with a person like you."

"Maybe not," said Raylene. "But I know my crew appreciates me and that's all that matters."

"I wish that were true." Cady said, bitterly.

"Dr. Hobbs." A voice called from behind her.

Raylene turned to see Spock and Uhura coming toward her. When she looked back at the ground for Cady, the woman was gone again, and she had taken the bomb with her.

Raylene huffed in annoyance. "Come on, we have to find her." She ran after Cady with Spock and Uhura trailing her.

They spotted her ducking into a room up ahead and approached carefully. Spock drew his gun and stepped into the transporter room first.

Cady stood near the control panel, holding a gun to Scotty's head. "Drop the gun or he dies."

Spock held a firm grip on the weapon. Raylene stepped up beside him and forced the gun down to his side. She looked at Cady still holding Scotty.

"Let him go. You don't need him." She said.

"Actually, I do," she shoved him down in the chair with the gun still pointed at his head, "just not with me. Send me back to my ship, or I'll end your life a little sooner than you were expecting."

Scotty glanced nervously at Raylene.

"Do what she says, Mr. Scott." Raylene said, much to Spock's disapproval.

Scotty nodded and looked at Cady. "I need you to step on the pad."

Cady walked to the transporter pad, her gun never leaving Scotty's direction.

"Where would you like to go?" He asked.

"Put me on the bridge." Cady smiled at Raylene. "Good bye, Dr. Hobbs."

The transporter whirred to life and bright lights danced around Cady's body until she disappeared from the Enterprise.

"You let her get away." Spock complained.

Raylene faced him. "I just saved all of our lives. She had a bomb that could wipe us all out in a second."

Spock continued to stare Raylene down. "I could have apprehended her before she detonated the bomb."

"And would that be before or after she shot Scotty?" Raylene questioned, fiercely.

"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. I would think as a doctor you would know that." He shot back.

"My job is to save lives. If one criminal escapes because of it, then so be it." Raylene said.

At that time, Kirk followed by McCoy appeared in the doorway. Kirk noticed the obvious tension and stepped between Spock and Raylene. "What happened? Where's Cady?"

"She escaped." Spock answered.

"What? How?"

"Why don't you ask Dr. Hobbs." Spock kept a straight face, controlling his emotions perfectly.

Raylene held herself in check for a moment, but her feelings overwhelmed her. Her anger bubbled over and she lunged at the Vulcan, her fist just missing his chin. Kirk caught her by the waist and pulled her away as McCoy stepped swiftly to her other side to calm her down. He pulled her away from the group and forced her to look at him by grabbing her face.

"Hey, hey. Calm down, sweetheart." He said, soothingly.

Raylene's nostrils flared as she let out a hard breath. "I swear to God I'm going to kill that green-blooded hobgoblin."

McCoy smirked. "As much as I would love to see that, he's your commanding officer and killing him would land you in the brig."

"It might be worth it." She grumbled, crossing her arms to hold in her frustration.

McCoy pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You can't let him get to you."

"Easier said than done." She allowed McCoy to put his arm around her. "I need you to keep me away from him."

"If it keeps you closer to me, then consider it done." McCoy agreed. He turned back to Kirk to listen to the explanation.

Scotty raised his hand timidly and Kirk nodded for him to speak up. "Cady captured me and held a gun to my head and Raylene saved my life by letting Cady escape."

"Where did she go?" Kirk asked.

"I sent her back to her ship." Scotty replied.

"Don't we have her entire crew here on the Enterprise?"

"I believe that is correct, captain." Spock said.

"Wouldn't she be stuck? How can she pilot the ship by herself?"

"I don't know for certain, but knowing how small the vessel is, it may not be too hard to control with one person." Uhura offered.

Kirk pulled out his communicator and spoke into it. "Mr. Chekov is Cady's ship still within range of the Enterprise?"

"Yes, captain. It's—The ship just went into warp, sir!" Chekov reported.

"Sulu, set a pursuit course after that ship!" Kirk commanded.

The group in the transporter room felt the ship lurch before it zoomed off after Cady.

Kirk looked at Spock and Uhura. "Get back to the bridge and tell Starfleet what's going on."

Spock and Uhura moved together out of the room, leaving the doctors, the engineer, and the captain alone.

"You alright, Scotty?" Kirk asked.

"Aye, captain." Scotty said. "Thank you, Dr. Hobbs."

"You're welcome, Mr. Scott." She said.

"Go to engineering and wait for further instructions." Kirk ordered, and Scotty left quickly.

Kirk looked at Raylene and grinned. "I know Spock thought it was the wrong move, but I would've done the exact same thing."

Raylene smiled back at him. "Thank you, captain."

"You two get back to med bay and treat any newly injured crew members."

"All due respect, captain," Raylene began. "I want to be on the bridge when you capture Cady."

Kirk shook his head and sighed. "I don't think you would listen to me even if I said no."

"Probably not." She shrugged.

"Fine," he consented. "You can both be on the bridge." Kirk turned and walked out of the transporter room back to the bridge.

Raylene was pleased with herself until she looked at McCoy's grumpy expression. "What?"

"You know what! You ran after a crazy woman without a weapon and without me." He accused.

Raylene frowned. "You were busy, and she was getting away."

McCoy sighed. "Damn, infuriating woman. When are you gonna get through your stubborn head that I need you, and that means alive."

Raylene put her hands on either side of his face. "I love you, too. You grumpy old cowboy."

McCoy leaned in and kissed her lips hard, trying to express how strongly he felt about her. He needed her like he needed air to breathe, like he needed a vacation from their crazy ship. Once this mess was over, he decided he would request shore leave and completely depart from the ship, with Raylene in tow.

* * *

A/N: I hope you're enjoying the story! It was difficult to create a new Star Trek villain but I like how she ended up. Any comments on Cady? Any comments on Raylene? Let me know! Leave a review!


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Sorry for the delay! I've been super busy this week. Thanks again for continuing to read this story. I appreciate your support as an aspiring writer.

* * *

On the bridge, Kirk paced behind the captain's chair as they chased Cady's ship. He never liked waiting. He thought waiting for his test results at the academy was hard, but waiting to catch up to Cady made that look like waiting for food from the replicator. They had left only a few seconds after Cady, but those few seconds had given her a head start.

"We're closing on the ship, sir." Sulu reported.

Kirk faced him. "Good. Is Starfleet still in pursuit of us?"

"Yes, sir," said Sulu. "The USS Shepard and the USS Wagoner are coming to assist."

Raylene and McCoy watched in anticipation from the background as the bridge kept track of Cady's ship. Raylene's anxiety manifested in her finger as she tapped it against her leg, uncontrollably. McCoy noticed her nervous movement and reached over to take her hand to stop her. She looked down at their hands, then up at him.

"It's gonna be okay, Ray. We'll get her." He assured her.

"I just want this to be over." She said, squeezing his hand.

"How close are we, Chekov?" Kirk asked.

"Close enough to fire on the ship, sir." Chekov replied.

"Take out the engine."

Sulu and Chekov punched a few buttons on the control panel and then an alert rang out.

"The ship is dropping out of warp, sir." Sulu said.

"Keep us out of range of their weapons. Tell Scotty to meet me in the transporter room." Kirk said, moving toward the exit.

Raylene moved quickly into his path. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going over there to arrest her."

"I want to go with you." Raylene said.

"Now, hold on." McCoy joined them.

"Leonard, it's fine," Raylene faced Kirk again, "She respects me. She might surrender easier to me."

"Don't tell me it's fine like you asked to go shopping. She's dangerous." McCoy replied.

Raylene turned and glared at him. "I didn't ask for your permission."

"And I didn't ask for your attitude." He shot back.

Kirk held his hands up. "Enough!"

Raylene and McCoy straightened at the tone of his voice and looked at him.

"I'm over your ridiculous arguments about who loves who more. Be thankful that you have each other and let's go arrest Cady." Kirk said, angrily.

McCoy and Raylene stared at their shoes a moment.

"Sorry, Jim." McCoy said.

Kirk took a breath. "Fine. Both of you can come along. Spock, you're coming too."

"What?" Raylene questioned.

"He's physically stronger than all three of us. We might need him to detain Cady. And no arguments from you, or you can stay here." Kirk pointed the last phrase to Raylene.

Spock joined the group and Kirk led them away to the transporter room. Raylene stared daggers at the back of Spock's head the entire walk. McCoy leaned in toward her ear as they walked.

"You need to calm down." He said.

"I'm fine." She mumbled.

"I'm sorry if it felt like I was trying to control you. I don't mean for my concern to come off as authoritative." He said.

Raylene breathed out and took McCoy's hand as they walked. "I was just being hateful. I didn't mean to snap."

"You forgive me when I snap at you. The least I can do is return the favor." McCoy replied. They walked quickly after Kirk and Spock.

* * *

In the transporter room, Scotty sat at the control panel punching in the coordinates for the bridge. Kirk stepped up onto the transporter pad followed by Spock, McCoy, and Raylene.

"Ready when you are, captain. Good luck." Scotty said.

"Thanks, Scotty." Kirk faced straight ahead. "Energize."

The four crew members were surrounded in blinding white light then just as quickly dropped onto the bridge of Cady's ship. Cady stood near the controls trying to stop all the alerts blaring on the control panel. Kirk and Spock aimed their guns at her.

"Thea Cady. You are under arrest for attacking a federation ship." Kirk said.

Cady turned slowly to face them. Her hair stood up in different directions and her face looked pale, like she knew she was out of options. "So, this is how it ends? Staring down the barrel of a gun in a useless spaceship."

"It doesn't have to end this way." Kirk said, lowering his gun.

"Yes, it does! Starfleet doesn't care about me and they don't care about you!" Cady shouted.

Kirk shrugged. "Maybe they don't, but on my ship, we care for each other and that's enough for me."

Cady looked over the four people in front of her representing the Enterprise. She could tell they were a family, even if they didn't get along with each other all the time. Cady hung her head and sighed.

"I surrender, Captain Kirk." She held up her hands.

Kirk stepped toward her and began snapping cuffs onto her wrist, gently.

"Just know that I'll do what I can to give you a fair shot at a second chance." He said.

Cady nodded. "I appreciate that, captain."

Raising his communicator to request to beam aboard the Enterprise, Kirk stumbled with the sudden rocking of the ship. An explosion went off near them, blowing flames through a hole in the panel and igniting the material on the walls. Multiple shots sounded as the ship was pelted with torpedoes.

"Kirk, to Enterprise. What the hell is going on?"

"The Shepard and Wagoner are firing on the enemy ship. We're trying to get in contact with them now." Sulu informed.

"Hurry up! Tell Scotty to get us out of here!" Kirk ordered as pieces of the ship started to break off and fall away.

"We must find somewhere safe until Mr. Scott can transport us." Spock said.

"Let's move." Kirk said.

Spock hurried ahead of the group, with Kirk and McCoy moving to follow him. Raylene looked at Cady, who stared blankly at the destruction of her ship.

Raylene grabbed Cady's arm. "Come on."

Cady shook her off. "I'm staying on my ship."

"Look, I know what it's like to want to die. To be the only one left of your crew, but you have a choice right now to live." Raylene looked at McCoy, then back to Cady. "And I hope you choose to live because I did and it's the best choice I've ever made."

The women stared at each other for a long time before Cady moved to follow the group, Raylene trailing behind her. They stayed close together dodging pieces of the ship that fell from the ceilings and walls. Then the ship shifted underneath them, and all five people went sprawling across the floor. McCoy slammed into the wall headfirst, stopping his forward momentum, Raylene grabbed a groove in the wall to steady herself, Cady slid into Kirk, knocking him down, and Spock caught himself on a doorframe.

Kirk helped Cady to her feet while Raylene went to McCoy.

"Come on, old man. Almost there." She pulled him up by the arm to his feet.

"You'll pay for that comment later, sweetheart." He grumbled, jogging after the others.

"Lookin' forward to it, baby." Raylene teased.

Spock stopped in an open area and raised his communicator. "Mr. Scott, energize."

Every person glowed brilliant white before landing on the Enterprise. Immediately, Kirk started giving orders.

"Report to Starfleet the threat has been neutralized. Get engineers to the decks where the anchor attached and make the repairs needed for now. Make sure all personnel report to their stations until we get everything cleared." His attention turned to Cady and he stopped talking.

He moved toward her to speak quietly. "I'll do what I can to help you and your crew."

Cady nodded her understanding. "Thank you, captain."

"Cadets take this woman to the brig with the others." He ordered.

Raylene watched Cady willingly go with the cadets and admired her choice to continue living even if she remained a prisoner of Starfleet. McCoy placed a hand in the small of her back, catching her attention.

"We should return to med bay." He said.

"You're right. Let's go." Raylene followed him down the hall.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Hope you enjoy the new chapter! Read and review!

* * *

Walking into med bay, McCoy and Raylene were surprised by the calm scene. The recovering patients laid quietly in their beds, while the doctors monitored their vitals, looking less anxious than earlier.

Raylene tried to go to her desk, but McCoy pulled her toward his office. Once the door closed behind them, he pulled her in and kissed her. He held her against him as he pressed multiple kisses to her lips until he was satisfied.

She smiled as she pulled away. She studied his face and noticed the cut on his forehead. "You're bleeding."

McCoy frowned. "I'll be fine."

He tried to kiss her again, but she pushed at his chest. "Let me help you. Isn't that what you always say to me?"

McCoy groaned as he took a seat on the couch next to the wall. Raylene gathered the supplies and sat next to him before dabbing at the cut.

"Ow!" McCoy complained. "You're wiping blood not squishin' insects."

"I know what I'm doing."

"Then do it gently."

"You always talk tough, but you're just a big softie." She said, jokingly.

McCoy smirked. "What can I say? I'm a lover not a fighter."

Raylene laughed as she finished bandaging his head. When she removed her hands from his head, she met his eyes, noticing his face had turned oddly serious.

"What's that look?" She questioned.

McCoy took her left hand. "I love you, Raylene Hobbs."

"I love you, too, Leonard McCoy." She replied, still confused.

"I've loved you everyday you've been on this ship, and I want to love you for the rest of my life."

Raylene grew wide-eyed. "Leonard? What are—"

"Marry me?"

"What?"

"I can't imagine spending anytime without you." McCoy smiled, a truly happy smile. "Will you marry me?"

Raylene took a deep breath. "Leonard, I never thought I could be this happy. Yes, I will marry you."

"You will?" He asked, needing reassurance.

"Yes." Raylene repeated, nodding her affirmation.

McCoy kissed her on the lips, then pulled away chuckling softly. "I just realized I don't have a ring."

"That's okay. I don't need one." She smiled, squeezing his hand.

"We need to make it official somehow." McCoy looked on his desk and spotted a paper clip. "Hold on."

He picked up the paperclip and bent it into a ring shape. He turned to Raylene and got down on one knee in front of her, presenting the ring.

Raylene smiled. "I already said yes." She watched McCoy slide the ring onto her finger. Once it was in place, Raylene grabbed McCoy's shirt and pulled him toward her into a passionate kiss.

WHOOP! WHOOP! WHOOP!

"Attention Enterprise crew! The prisoner Thea Cady has escaped! Every department be on high alert." Sulu reported over the intercom.

Raylene stood up quickly and rushed out of McCoy's office. McCoy hurried to catch her in the hallway.

"Ray, what are you doing?"

"Someone has to stop her." Raylene ran ahead of him, turning corners faster than McCoy could keep track.

McCoy bumped into a few other crew members running to their positions, earning dirty looks in the process. He raced after her only seeing the tips of her ponytail blowing behind her as she ran toward the brig. The hallway cleared ahead of him and he pushed himself faster to catch up to Raylene. He rounded the last corner he saw her go around and stopped.

Cady stood at the other end of the hallway holding a phaser over Raylene's unconscious body.

"Nice to see you again, doctor." Cady smiled.

"What did you do?" McCoy tried to go to Raylene, but Cady aimed the phaser at his chest.

"Not so fast, handsome. I need you alive."

"What for?" McCoy pressed the talk button on his communicator, hoping Kirk would stay silent and listen.

"Originally, I planned to take your little girlfriend here, but I grew tired of her 'you can change' speech. However, I still need a doctor for my new crew."

McCoy scoffed. "And you think I would go with you?"

"To save your girl and your crew? Of course, you will."

"What do you mean?"

Cady laughed a little. "My little escape wasn't to get away. It was to plant my bomb on the Enterprise. My ship may have been small, but it did have transport capabilities."

McCoy glanced down at Raylene as he thought over the options.

"Decisions. Decisions. Time to choose." Cady lowered the phaser to Raylene and squeezed her finger tighter on the trigger.

"Okay," said McCoy. "I'll go with you."

"Good choice. Now walk towards me."

McCoy walked slowly toward Cady and Raylene. He hesitated slightly to glance at Raylene and make sure she was still breathing before Cady shoved him in the back to push him forward.

"Where are we going?" He asked.

"To shuttle bay. We're getting out of here quietly." Cady walked behind him with the phaser trained on his head.

McCoy hoped Kirk had heard everything she said as he turned off the communicator in his pocket. He walked slowly in front of Cady to give Kirk and the others time to create a plan. He wasn't sure what they were going to do, but he trusted his crew to figure something out.

* * *

"Raylene? Ray, wake up."

The frantic voice and insistent shaking of her body forced Raylene to open her eyes and check her surroundings. Kirk kneeled above her with a worried expression plastered on his face.

"What happened? What's going on?" She asked, rubbing her head to clear the fog in her mind.

"Cady escaped. We got a call from Bones and found you here."

"Where's Leonard?" Raylene sat up, slowly.

Kirk didn't give a reply and avoided her gaze.

Raylene glared at him. "Where's Leonard, Jim?"

"Cady has him." Kirk replied in a low tone.

"What?"

"Cady took him. The security cameras caught them walking down this corridor while she held a phaser to his back. I'm sorry, Ray."

Raylene shook her head, not wanting to believe him. She got to her feet and looked around wildly, trying to figure out why Cady took him and not her.

"No. No, this isn't right. We have to get him back, Jim. Tell me he's alive. Tell me we're gonna get him back!"

Kirk grabbed Raylene by the arms to stop her from panicking. "We're gonna get him back. We're tracking the shuttle they left in. Right now, we have to find the bomb she planted on this ship before she blows us up."

Raylene nodded, not able to give a verbal reply to him. He took her hand and led her to the bridge to coordinate with the other senior officers.

The walk to the bridge left Raylene to think of reasons why Cady would take Leonard. If she wanted a doctor, she could've taken her. She could only imagine what Cady would do to Leonard if the Enterprise interfered with her plan. She hoped he would stay safe until they could figure something out. She didn't want to be a widow before she was even a wife.

Kirk pulled her onto the bridge and made sure she was okay before going to the captain's chair. "Status report."

"The shuttle is going deeper into space away from the Federation." Sulu said.

"Any news on the bomb?"

"Scanners haven't picked up any anomaly's in the ships compartments, but some section scanners were damaged in the earlier attack." Chekov reported.

"On site section sweeps haven't found anything yet, captain." Spock added.

"Keep looking. She's given us time, but who knows what she's thinking." Kirk looked back at Raylene to judge her mental state. She held her arms closer to her body and stared at the floor.

"Scott to bridge! I think we found the bomb on deck four. She placed it in a tight crawl space just behind the fuel pump. It's gonna take us a minute to get in there and get it out."

"Great job, Scotty. Move as fast as you can just don't blow up my ship." Kirk warned.

"I'm not exactly a bomb disposal expert, but I know enough to know avoiding detonation is the idea." Scotty remarked.

"Thank you, Mr. Scott." Kirk rolled his eyes as he cut off the call.

"How should we dispose of the bomb once it is removed?" Spock asked.

No one offered a solution.

Raylene stood in the back thinking to herself, but the moment Spock posed the question, she had an answer.

"We do a switch." She said.

"What do you mean?" Kirk asked.

"We transport Leonard back here and transport the bomb onto the shuttle and detonate it." She replied.

"What about Cady?"

"She doesn't want a second chance. She proved that the moment she escaped custody."

"Captain, we cannot execute someone willingly." Spock interrupted.

"She committed treason which is punishable by death. If she gets away again she'll do this to another Federation ship until she gets what she wants."

Spock looked at her. "Dr. Hobbs, I agree that your argument is valid, but can we live with ourselves morally?"

"Damn it, Spock! She has Leonard! You're telling me if she had Uhura you wouldn't do everything you could to stop her?"

Spock stayed quiet for a moment. "If the situation called for it, I would do what I could to stop Ms. Cady."

Raylene appreciated the small victory and looked to Kirk to come up with a plan.

Kirk turned to Sulu. "We still have contact with that shuttle correct?"

"Yes, sir." Sulu replied.

"Good. I have a plan."


	17. Chapter 17

McCoy sat in the back of the shuttle watching Cady as she steered the small vehicle through space. His aviophobia kept him from looking out the front window, but he knew they were traveling away from Federation space. That was the logical decision.

'_Oh, god,' _he thought, _'I'm thinking like Spock.'_

Cady pushed a few buttons and turned away from the controls to face him. "What made you become a doctor?"

"I prefer not to answer." He growled.

"There, there, handsome. No need to be short with me. I really like you, you know. And I can see why our friend Raylene likes you too." Cady stopped in front of McCoy and placed her hands on either side of his face to force him to look up at her.

"I did what you asked. Doesn't mean I have to like you."

"You never know," Cady rubbed her thumb along his cheek, "you could learn to love me." She leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips.

When she pulled away she tried to judge his reaction, but McCoy steeled himself, not revealing how disgusted he was.

"Attention Thea Cady."

Cady turned to the control panel. "Ooh, a message."

"This is Captain Kirk of the USS Enterprise. We know there is a bomb on our ship and we know you have the detonator. I'll surrender control of the Enterprise to you if you tell us where the bomb is."

Cady answered the message. "Is this a joke? Because I'm not in a joking mood."

"I'll surrender control to you if you return Dr. McCoy and remove the bomb." Kirk said.

"And your crew will follow my orders?"

"Yes."

"You're all prepared to be criminals?"

"Yes."

Cady thought a moment. "Is Dr. Hobbs with you?"

Kirk paused. "Yes, she's here."

"I want to speak to her."

There was silence as Raylene moved near Kirk.

"Hobbs, here."

"Hello, darling. I'm sorry you couldn't make the trip. I just like your boyfriend so much better." Cady flashed a smile at McCoy, who grimaced and turned away.

"Let me talk to Leonard." Raylene said.

"I don't think he wants to talk to you." Cady responded.

McCoy stood from his seat. "Let me talk to her."

"Temper. Temper." Cady moved from the panel and allowed McCoy to take her spot. "Be my guest."

"Raylene, I'm here. Are you okay? How's your head?" McCoy asked quickly.

"I'm fine, Leonard. What about you?" Raylene's eyes watered from relief when she heard his voice.

"I'm okay. Just get me out of here."

"Give us a few minutes. We're working on it. Stay safe." Raylene said, her voice breaking slightly.

McCoy noticed the crack in her voice. "It'll be okay, sweetheart."

Raylene couldn't respond and Kirk took over on the call.

"Hey, Bones. You remember all the crazy things I've dragged you through? Just add this to the list."

McCoy chuckled. "You owe me a drink when I get back."

"Deal."

"As much as I love hearing all this sentiment, it's time to pay up, Kirk." Cady interrupted.

"You tell us where the bomb is and bring McCoy back, I'll surrender, and the Enterprise is yours." Kirk said.

"The bomb is on deck four in a tight space behind the fuel pump. Cady out." She ended the call and turned to McCoy. Pushing him hard in the chest to knock him against the side wall, Cady advanced on him and attached something to his wrist.

McCoy looked down to see a chain running from the cuff on his wrist to the side panel of the shuttle.

"What are you doing?" McCoy asked.

"Setting up my insurance policy. The transporter can't differentiate between you and the shuttle. This keeps your crew from trying anything stupid." Cady went back to the controls and pressed a few buttons.

McCoy pulled on the chain, testing its strength and his. It didn't budge, and he leaned against the wall, his energy spent.

'_I'm gonna need a miracle, Jim._' He thought.

* * *

On the Enterprise, Chekov punched furiously at the buttons on his control panel, setting up the transport and return of McCoy. The bomb had been removed and placed on the transporter pad, ready to return to its sender.

Chekov turned to Kirk. "Everything is in place, sir."

"Great. Set the timer on the bomb for one minute and send it over first. Once its in place, beam Bones back." Kirk ordered.

"Yes, sir."

A technician in the transporter room set a timer on the bomb to one minute then beamed it over to the shuttle.

* * *

On the shuttle, McCoy heard the familiar whirr of something being beamed onto the shuttle. He looked under the seat across from him and saw the bomb appear with the timer actively ticking down.

He noticed the beginnings of the beaming device circling him, but the process couldn't finish with his wrist attached to the side panel.

Cady turned and noticed McCoy being surrounded by white lights.

"I told you it wouldn't work." She smiled.

"At least you won't be escaping this time." McCoy replied.

"What makes you say that?"

"Kirk sent over a present. I hope you like fireworks because we're about to be apart of the show."

"What the hell does that mean?" Cady charged toward him and noticed the red glow coming from under the seat. She looked and saw the bomb ticking down, only thirty seconds left.

"It's a decoy. He wouldn't kill his best doctor or his best friend." She argued.

McCoy snorted, thinking about Kirk. "He wouldn't do it intentionally, but he knows I'm okay with dying for a good cause."

Cady's face turned red and she huffed. "This isn't fair. This can't be happening."

* * *

Back on the Enterprise, Chekov grew panicked as he realized McCoy couldn't be beamed over. He typed in different codes, but nothing worked.

"What's wrong?" Kirk asked, concerned.

"Something is interfering with McCoy's signal. The transporter cannot differentiate. We cannot beam him back." Chekov explained.

Raylene froze at Chekov's statement. Kirk sparred a glance at her to see her frightened face.

"Get him back, Mr. Chekov." Kirk commanded.

"I'm trying, sir!" Chekov pushed more buttons and worked to get McCoy back to the Enterprise.

"How much time on the bomb?" Kirk looked at Uhura.

"Thirty seconds, sir. We still need to back away from the blast radius." She explained.

Kirk looked at the view screen and saw the distance from the shuttle to the Enterprise was too close to withstand the blast. "Mr. Sulu, stay within range of the transporter and divert all power to forward shields. Everyone brace for impact. Chekov keep trying McCoy."

Raylene held her hands in front of her mouth as she waited for Chekov to give good news. Kirk stood and put his arm around her shoulders, holding her against his chest.

"Fifteen seconds, sir." Uhura informed.

They watched as the time ticked down and McCoy still hadn't returned to the ship.

"Come on, Bones." He whispered to himself.

* * *

As Cady threw her tantrum, McCoy noticed the phaser on her belt and reached for it. She felt him grab at her waist and they struggled over the phaser.

"It can't end like this." She growled as they fought for control of the phaser.

McCoy shoved Cady with his hip, attempting to loosen her grip. Her grip stayed firm as she kicked at his ankle. McCoy knew he was running out of time, so he reared back and knocked his head into Cady's and swung her body around until she collided with the wall. She let go of the phaser as she fell to the floor.

McCoy turned to the wall to shoot the chain. He aimed the phaser and…

BANG!

* * *

The explosion was silent, but the light was blinding as the shuttle disappeared in a flash of purple tinged light. The shock wave rocked the Enterprise, but the shields held firm and the ship survived. Raylene buried her face in Kirk's chest as the tears began to stream down her face. Kirk held tightly to her, trying to comfort her and hoping Chekov would give him good news.

"Mr. Chekov were you successful?" He asked.

"I do not know, sir. I have lost signal from the shuttle, but the percentages were going up before the explosion." Chekov looked back helplessly.

Raylene listened to this and hope shot back into her chest.

"Uhura, connect with the transporter room." Kirk ordered.

Before she could hear the reply, Raylene released herself from Kirk's arms and ran toward the hallway, rushing to the transporter room.

Raylene pushed herself to run faster to the transporter room. The hope that McCoy would be standing there to greet her drove her through her exhaustion. He couldn't be dead. She needed him to be alive.

She rounded the corner to the transporter room and plowed into someone, falling to the ground with them.

"What the hell?" The person complained.

Raylene raised up slightly to see who she hit and stared into familiar hazel eyes. "Leonard!"

"Hey, darlin'. Did you miss me?" He smirked.

Raylene began kissing him quickly and all over his face. McCoy chuckled and grabbed her shoulders to separate them.

"Easy, babe. We're not exactly in private." He pushed her back gently to see her face.

"I don't care. I thought you were dead." She kissed him once more. "You can't leave me like that. Not before our life together begins."

"I'm not going anywhere." He pulled her down to him for a long kiss.

Kirk chose that moment to come around the corner, and he stopped when he saw his two best doctors kissing in the hallway.

"Good to see you, Bones." He said with a laugh.

McCoy flipped him off never once leaving Raylene's lips. They stayed together for a moment longer until Raylene pulled away and got to her feet. McCoy took his time standing up and felt something heavy on his wrist. He looked down to remember the cuff and chain still attached to him.

Kirk pointed to the chain. "I'm assuming that's why we couldn't get a signal on you."

"Yeah, a final gift from Cady." McCoy raised his hand. "Any way we can get this removed?"

"I'll call Scotty." Kirk smiled. "I'm glad you're back, Bones."

"You still owe me that drink." McCoy said, trying to lighten the mood.

"You got it." Kirk turned away to call Scotty on his communicator.

McCoy faced Raylene. "I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"I'm sorry for scaring you like that, so soon after we—" He squeezed her left hand to finish his sentence.

"It wasn't your fault. She took you away, but we found our way back together." Raylene hugged him tightly. "And I'm never letting go."

McCoy returned the hug and his eyes teared up as his emotions got the better of him. "Good. Me neither."

* * *

A/N: Did anyone think he was dead? Come on! I wouldn't kill Bones! Hope you're still enjoying the story.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Sorry for the late update! Hope you're still enjoying!

* * *

"Attention crew of the Enterprise. We'll be returning to Earth in approximately two hours. Please ensure all stations are locked down before shuttling to the surface." Sulu reported over the ship wide intercom.

McCoy groaned as he pulled Raylene closer to him in bed. It was early in the morning and neither one had been motivated to get up.

"Do we have to go?" Raylene mumbled.

"We can just stay on the ship and be the only one's here."

"Alone on a deserted ship with no way off? Are you sure that's a good idea?" Raylene teased.

McCoy snuggled into her neck. "Any idea where I get to spend time with you is a good idea."

"Leonard McCoy why are you being so sweet?" She giggled as his breath tickled her neck.

"Because I love my fiancée." He kissed her neck.

"I like the sound of that." Raylene rolled over to face him. She studied the wrinkles in his tan skin and noticed how relaxed he looked facing her now. His eyes shined as he stared back at her and she knew she had never felt this happy.

Their happiness was cut short when McCoy's communicator went off.

"You've got to be kidding." He complained.

Raylene giggled and rubbed her hand across his rough cheek. "I bet I can guess who it is."

"Me too." He rolled to his back to reach his communicator. "McCoy, here."

"Hey, Bones. Ready to be back on solid ground?" Kirk teased.

"You have no idea." McCoy rolled his eyes.

"So, what are you doin' to get ready for landing?"

McCoy glanced at Raylene and decided he wasn't in the mood to lie. "I'm currently lying next to my girlfriend in bed, trying to think of things to do when we're on shore leave."

"Leonard!" Raylene scolded and slapped his arm.

"What? He asked what I was doin'." He smirked.

"Oh, well, uh. Tell Raylene I'm sorry and I'll see you on the surface. Kirk out." Kirk hung up on his end and McCoy put his communicator down.

"That was unnecessary, Dr. McCoy." Raylene said.

"He wanted me to tell him when he was interrupting, so I told him." He pulled her closer to his side.

"We should probably get to med bay and lock everything down for shore leave." She said.

"Why do you have to be the responsible one?" McCoy questioned.

"I just want to start our shore leave as soon as possible," she kissed his cheek, "and I want to set a date for our wedding before we get sent into space again."

McCoy nodded. "I agree. I don't want to be married on a spaceship if we can help it."

Raylene stood from the bed and walked to the bathroom to get ready. McCoy joined her a few moments later and they got ready in relative silence. Once they were finished, they walked arm in arm to med bay and started putting things away and taking inventory before they left for shore leave.

Soon, the Enterprise docked outside Earth's atmosphere and each crew member reported to shuttle bay to be taxied back to Earth. McCoy gripped Raylene's hand tightly as they boarded the small shuttle.

"How can you still be afraid of flying?" She teased.

"I almost got blown up yesterday and you're asking me why? Besides I'm more afraid of crashing." He grumbled.

Raylene hugged his arm, bringing herself closer to him. "I promise you'll be fine. I'm right here with you."

McCoy looked at her and smiled, instantly calmed by her presence next to him.

They entered the shuttle followed by Sulu, Spock, Uhura, Chekov, and finally Kirk, who took the only empty seat next to Raylene. He avoided eye contact and didn't offer a hello to either doctor.

Raylene smiled. "Are you excited to return to Earth, captain?"

"Oh, uh, yeah." Kirk replied.

"You don't have to ignore us, Jim. Leonard was just giving you a hard time earlier."

"Sure, I was." McCoy rolled his eyes and Raylene elbowed him in the side.

Kirk finally met her eyes and instantly returned to his normal, hyperactive self. "Good, because I have big plans for our return to Earth. We're goin' out tonight and you can't say no."

McCoy groaned and Raylene smiled at both men. "That sounds perfect, Jim."

"Attention Shuttle crew. Prepare for departure." A voice reported over the intercom.

McCoy leaned back into his seat and closed his eyes, reaching for Raylene's hand in the process. She gladly took it and held tightly as the shuttle lifted from the dock and zoomed toward Earth. She watched as the planet drew closer, the calming blue-green of the ocean drawing her in. The shuttle broke through the atmosphere and Raylene saw Starfleet headquarters come into view.

* * *

McCoy unlocked the door to his apartment and let Raylene walk in first. His Earth apartment held the bare minimum supplies, but Starfleet kept each officer's living space on Earth clean until they returned. Since Raylene had been considered dead and wasn't an official Starfleet member before she went missing, she didn't have an apartment of her own, but Leonard McCoy was more than willing to share with her.

"This is it. Home sweet home." He said, closing the door behind them.

"It's so cute." Raylene walked around, taking in the layout of the room. She noticed pictures on a table and saw a young boy posing with his baseball glove. She held up the picture. "Is this you?"

"Yep. My glory days in little league."

"You were so cute. What happened?" She said, jokingly.

McCoy furrowed his eyebrows, but he couldn't help the smirk that crossed his lips. "I open my home to you and this is how you repay me?"

Raylene laughed as she set the picture down, then turned to face him. "You know I'm teasing."

He closed the distance and wrapped her in his arms. "I know, Mrs. McCoy."

Raylene grinned. "We need to make this official. Although, it might be difficult having two Dr. McCoy's on the Enterprise."

"You don't have to take my name on the ship, just when you're with me." He pressed a kiss to her lips.

"We should tell everyone tonight." She said.

"Or we could elope?" He offered.

"This is the first time I've felt like I have a family. I'm not eloping."

McCoy sighed. "You're right. They should be there too."

"So, we're telling everyone tonight?"

"Yes. But I'm gonna need at least one drink before we do." He said.

"Deal." Raylene kissed him hard to seal the agreement.

* * *

The group gathered at a local bar not far from headquarters and sat in a corner booth, big enough for all of them. McCoy sat on the end with Raylene next to him and everyone else packed in the middle, then Kirk capped off the other side. Kirk had bought a round for everyone to start off the night and now they sipped on their second drinks telling stories.

Kirk finished telling a hilarious story from his childhood and as everyone finished laughing, Raylene whispered in McCoy's ear. "Can we tell them now?"

McCoy took a sip of his bourbon. "I don't know if I'm buzzed enough."

"Come on, Leonard. You promised!"

"What's going on over there?" Kirk yelled over the noise of the bar.

Raylene stared at McCoy her eyes pleading him to reveal the news. He stared back at her, defiantly, but lost his resolve and decided to tell the truth.

He downed the rest of his bourbon, then looked around the table. "I have an announcement."

"Since when do cool things happen in your life?" Kirk teased.

"Shut up and listen." He growled before taking a breath to calm himself. "I asked Raylene to marry me and she said yes. We're gettin' married."

Uhura jumped at the news with excitement. "Congratulations!"

Sulu, Chekov, and Spock offered quieter versions of Uhura's exclamation, leaving Kirk the only one who didn't reply. McCoy looked at the younger man, waiting for a response.

Raylene noticed Kirk remained quiet, his head facing the other direction. "Jim? Is everything okay?"

Kirk wiped at his eyes and faced the group. "I'm fine. I'm just really happy for you guys."

"Are you cryin'?" McCoy asked.

"No!" Kirk said, defensively. "I don't cry. My eyes are watering from the atmosphere change."

The group joined in laughter again at the expense of the young captain until Uhura started questioning Raylene and McCoy.

"When are you getting married? Have you set a date yet?"

Raylene answered. "We want to get married before we're back on the ship, but we haven't set a date. We have three months of shore leave, so we have time to do something before then. I hear courthouse weddings can be nice."

"You're not getting married in a courthouse." Uhura said quickly.

"I'm with her." McCoy added.

"Well, I don't want to get married on the ship." Raylene said.

"Why not a beach wedding?" Kirk asked.

"That is a good idea, captain," said Spock. "Public beach property can be very beautiful."

"And you won't need anything special. Just wait until sunset and boom! Best wedding photos ever." Sulu inserted.

McCoy thought it over a moment, then looked at Raylene. She seemed surprised their friends were so willing to supply ideas for their wedding. Finally, she met his gaze, silently asking him his thoughts.

"I would love to see you on the beach at sunset," said McCoy, taking her hand. "But I'll go along with whatever you decide."

She shook her head. "I think the beach would be perfect."

McCoy kissed her before turning to the group. "Beach wedding it is!"

Everyone cheered, and Kirk ordered a bottle of champagne to celebrate the union of his two favorite doctors. They passed glasses around the table full of the bubbly liquid and Kirk made a toast.

"To the happy couple. May Bones learn to have a good time and may Raylene never realize what a grouch he can be." Kirk clinked glasses as McCoy shot him a glare.

Uhura turned to Raylene. "What about the ring? I didn't even ask to see it."

Raylene shrugged. "We don't have an official engagement ring, but that doesn't matter as long as I get the wedding ring."

McCoy cleared his throat. "Don't get too comfortable with that idea." He dug in the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small blue satin box. He laid it on the table in front of Raylene. She looked from the box back to him a few times.

"Aren't you gonna open it?" He asked, grinning devilishly.

Raylene opened the box to reveal a circular sapphire embedded in a silver band with small diamonds surrounding the larger gemstone. Raylene gasped as she stared at the shining blue stone.

"Do you like it?" McCoy asked.

"Leonard McCoy. I love it!" She held it out to him. "Will you put it on me?"

McCoy nodded then reached for the ring. His large hands easily maneuvered the ring from the box with surgical precision and slid it on her ring finger. He raised her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it.

Raylene smiled, widely. "It's beautiful, Leonard."

"Who knew Bones had good taste in jewelry?" Kirk threw back the last of the whiskey in his glass.

"You don't know everything about me, kid." McCoy replied.

Uhura moved the conversation back toward the wedding. "Do you have a dress?"

Raylene turned to answer but paused when she realized she didn't have one.

"We have to get you a dress." Uhura insisted.

"I can just wear something nice. I want to keep it simple." Raylene said.

McCoy faced her. "Simple doesn't mean you have to sacrifice something you want. If you want a wedding dress, then get a wedding dress."

"Exactly! You only get married once." Kirk said.

McCoy glared at Kirk and his poor choice of words, knowing he was the only divorcee at the table.

Kirk laughed nervously. "Well, you know, unless you don't meet the right person the first time and you have to get married a second time."

Raylene laughed as Kirk tried to dig himself out of the hole.

"Anyways," McCoy continued, "I would love to see you in a wedding dress, if you want to wear one."

Raylene leaned in to kiss him. "Alright. Then I'll go buy a wedding dress, but what are you going to wear?"

"You know. A nice shirt. Dress pants. Nothing special."

"Can you at least wear a tie? For me?" She pleaded.

McCoy raised an eyebrow. "A tie? Seriously?"

"Just for the ceremony, and then you can take it off."

"Yes, ma'am."

"We have so much to plan!" Uhura exclaimed.

"I believe we could have everything ready in two weeks. Is that an okay date for your wedding?" Spock asked.

Raylene looked up at McCoy. "It sounds perfect."

McCoy put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. "I love you." He kissed her head.

"I love you, too." Raylene replied.

Soon, the group left the bar, returning to their rooms to enjoy the rest of their night.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Here's the deal: I'm leaving for vacation soon so I decided to post the final chapters of the story back to back to back. After this chapter there is one more and that's the end. Please read and review! Prepare yourself for the end!

* * *

TWO WEEKS LATER! THE DAY OF THE WEDDING!

The alarm blared to his right, alerting McCoy it was time to wake up. He reached over to shut it off, then put his arm back under his head. Laying on his stomach, he pressed the pillow into his face to block out the world for a moment longer.

The sound of feet running into the room caused him to open his eyes slightly, then a weight crashed down onto the bed, bouncing his body up and down on the mattress. A cold hand slid up the side of his torso, making him grit his teeth in shock.

"What the hell?" He complained, grabbing the hand at his side and twisting to his back to face his attacker.

Raylene sat on her knees next to him, her hair still wild from sleep and her robe wrapped around her, but loosely tied.

"Good morning, Dr. McCoy. It's time to get up."

"My alarm just went off. Give me two seconds to wake up." McCoy rubbed his face.

Raylene leaned in and kissed his lips. "It's our wedding day. I'm excited!"

"Me too." McCoy sat up to move his face closer to her and kiss her. He pulled away after a moment. "But not too excited to get enough sleep."

"Quit being practical for once in your life and enjoy our day." She teased.

McCoy sighed. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good," she moved from the bed, "because Jim will be here in thirty minutes to pick you up."

"For what?"

"You can't be here while I'm getting ready. You can't see me until the ceremony." She explained.

"Do you seriously believe that stuff?"

"Leonard McCoy! Yes, I believe it and I want this day to be perfect, so get your butt out of bed, take a shower, and be ready to leave when Kirk gets here." Raylene crossed her arms, hinting that she was serious.

McCoy stood from the bed with his hands raised in surrender. "Alright, you win."

Raylene smiled triumphantly.

"May I ask one question?" McCoy asked.

"You may."

"Can I get one last kiss before I have to leave?" He took slow steps toward her, only stopping when he was in front of her.

She raised an eyebrow at his request, thinking of a response. She enjoyed making him suffer whenever she could, especially when she could stare at him in only his pajama pants, his chest exposed to her wondering eye.

She grabbed his waist and pulled his body to hers. "I can agree to that." Raylene closed the distance. They kissed softly, knowing pushing too hard would make them end up back in bed.

Raylene pressed a final kiss to his lips, then made him release her.

"I know. I know. Go take a shower." McCoy walked quickly to the bathroom to start his shower.

Raylene smiled to herself, amazed at how much she loved him. Returning to the kitchen, Raylene sipped on her cup of coffee as she made a checklist of things to do before the wedding. Uhura was coming over to help her get ready and Kirk was taking McCoy, so neither bride nor groom would see the other.

The shower kicked off ten minutes later and she heard McCoy gathering his hygiene products and clothes to take with him. Raylene loved that he knew exactly what he was doing and had it all together, but secretly she hated that he had done this already with someone else and she wasn't sure how special it would be to him a second time.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the miracle of Jim Kirk showing up early to an event.

He knocked on the door then let himself in. "Good morning, lovebirds! Who's ready to get married?"

"Hi, Jim." She walked over and hugged him. "Leonard should be ready in a minute, he's just grabbing his things."

"Perfect. Sorry, I'm early."

"No, don't be. It's a pleasant surprise."

"Well, don't get used to it. Rarely do I ever commit pleasant surprises. Just ask Bones." He said and Raylene laughed.

"Ask me what?" McCoy entered the room with a black bag and his tux held over his shoulder.

"Ask you to hurry up. It's your wedding day!" Jim threw his hands to the side in a grand gesture.

McCoy raised an eyebrow in question. "I'm here now, so we can go."

"Whatever you say, doctor." Jim stepped quickly to the door and held it open. "See ya later, Ray."

"Goodbye, Jim." She looked at McCoy. "I love you."

"I love you, too. See ya at the altar." He winked at her before walking out the door and allowing Jim to close it.

Raylene smiled, her heart fluttering after McCoy winked at her. She couldn't wait to marry him.

* * *

Standing on the beach, watching the waves roll underneath the Golden Gate Bridge, McCoy thought of all the choices that led him here. Enrolling in Starfleet when he had nothing left, helping Jim onto the Enterprise, surviving five years in space. He didn't know how all those choices that made him so grumpy could lead to this moment of pure happiness.

Off to his left, Spock, Uhura, Chekov, Sulu, and Kirk chatted among themselves. They were dressed in civilian clothes which made Spock almost uncomfortable other than he got to see Uhura in a dress. Kirk left the group and joined McCoy off to the side.

Kirk clapped a hand on McCoy's shoulder to get his attention. "How ya feelin'?"

McCoy smiled. "Nervous."

"Everything will be great. Don't worry about it."

"I'm not worried." McCoy replied.

"Good," Kirk glanced behind McCoy, "because here she comes."

McCoy turned around and faced her, a large smile plastered on his face.

Raylene stood up the beach from them, wearing a simple white gown with off the shoulder straps and a flowing skirt that touched the top of her bare feet. Instead of a veil, she wore a crown of white flowers and her hair hung down in soft curls around her shoulders.

She started walking toward him with slow, lingering steps that left footprints in the sand behind her. McCoy tried to catch his breath as she stepped closer to him.

"Hi," said Raylene, when she reached him.

"Hi," said McCoy. "You look beautiful."

Raylene blushed. "Thank you. You look very handsome." She smoothed the collar of his white shirt and ran her hand down his chest.

McCoy took her hand. "Shall we?"

"Yes, we shall." They turned together and faced Kirk.

"Are you ready? It's not too late to back out, Bones." Kirk said jokingly.

"That's not funny." McCoy growled.

Raylene glared at Kirk. "Pick your battles, Kirk. Don't mess with me on my wedding day."

Kirk's eyes went wide as he realized how serious Raylene was being. "Alright. Moving on." He pulled at the collar of his shirt, suddenly feeling his tie too tight around his neck.

"What's wrong Jim? Scared she might kick your ass?" McCoy grinned.

"No, I'm not. Let's just get on with the ceremony," replied Kirk. "We're gathered here on this public beach to witness the union of our two favorite doctors, Leonard McCoy and Raylene Hobbs. Do you have the rings?" Kirk asked.

McCoy glanced at Kirk and raised an eyebrow. "I gave them to you, genius."

Kirk patted at his pockets, feeling for the rings, but not finding them. McCoy grew angry at Kirk's irresponsibility and Raylene began to worry he had lost them.

Then Kirk smiled wide. "Just kidding. I have them." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out the two gold bands.

McCoy grabbed them quickly from his hand.

Kirk recoiled slightly. "I was just trying to make a joke."

McCoy huffed and faced Raylene, exchanging rings then slipping hers on her finger as she placed his on his finger. They held hands and smiled at each other. He looked at Kirk, waiting for him to continue.

"Oh, right," Kirk began again, "Bones, do you take this amazing woman, to have and to hold, until death parts you?"

"I do." McCoy smiled, widely.

Kirk turned to Raylene. "Raylene, do you take this stubborn sometimes grouchy doctor," McCoy glared at Kirk, but Kirk only smiled, "to have and to hold, until death parts you?"

"I do." Raylene smiled and squeezed his hands.

"Then by the power vested in me by Starfleet and the Federation of Planets, I pronounce you man and wife. Kiss her, Bones!"

McCoy grabbed her waist and pulled her toward him as he leaned his head in to kiss her. Raylene met his lips eagerly, and they stayed pressed together for a long time. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and McCoy picked her up and spun her around. They stayed kissing until she threw her head back laughing and he lowered her feet back to the ground.

Raylene hugged him tight and felt his lips against her ear as he whispered, "I promise to love you forever."

"Forever." She repeated as if saying it twice would make it true.

He kissed the side of her head. "I love you, Raylene."

"I love you, too, Leonard."


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: Here we are! The final chapter! This has been one of my favorite stories to write and I hope it's been one of your favorites to read. I appreciate all the people who have been reading since the first chapter post, but I love all of you guys for favoriting, following, and reviewing my story. I hope you all enjoy the last chapter of Those Left Behind! See you on the next adventure!

* * *

The porch was dark except for the light pouring out of the front door from inside. McCoy sat on the swing stretching his legs in and out to swing back and forth. He watched the ocean matching his pattern, the waves going in and out along the shore.

This had easily been his favorite shore leave since he boarded the Enterprise. He didn't want it to end.

The creak of the screen door alerted him to someone joining him on the porch.

"Hello, darlin'," he said, looking up at Raylene.

She pulled her cardigan tighter around her body. "What are you doing out here?"

"Enjoying the view." He reached out a hand toward her. "Sit with me."

Raylene smiled and moved to sit next to him. She curled her feet underneath her legs and leaned into his side, hugging his arm while his hand rested on her thigh. McCoy swung them gently as they watched the moonlight dance on the water.

"I could get used to this." McCoy said after a while.

"What the view?"

"No. Swinging with you on the front porch."

Raylene hummed her approval. "Me too. But you wouldn't give up the Enterprise."

"I would if I never had to fly again. I can be an Earth doctor just as easily as I can be a space one."

She tilted her head up to look at him. "And be bored out of your mind?"

He looked at her seriously. "I would give it all up to buy a house on the beach and share it with you."

"I would never ask you to do that." Raylene pulled herself closer to him, enjoying his warmth and his sincerity.

"You wouldn't have to." McCoy kissed the top of her head.

They sat silently watching the waves lap against the shore. Music drifted softly through the air from the bar down the beach. McCoy pushed the swing one more time, then he stopped.

"What's wrong?" Raylene asked.

McCoy stood up and offered his hand. "Dance with me."

"Now?"

He shrugged. "Why not? We have the whole floor to ourselves."

Raylene hesitated a moment. She wasn't opposed to dancing with her new husband in their private beach house.

She took his hand. "You better not step on my feet."

He chuckled. "I wouldn't dare." McCoy pulled her to her feet and into his arms. His left hand held her right hand and his right arm held her against him.

He waited a beat before beginning to sway to the music.

"You know what you're doing, cowboy?" She questioned, giving him a playful smile.

"Of course. My mama didn't raise a Southern gentleman who couldn't dance." McCoy spun her out then back in to prove his point.

"I'm sorry I doubted you." She apologized.

"I'll forgive you." McCoy kissed her forehead.

He spun her again and dipped her when she spun back into him making her laugh. Raylene stared at him for a moment before laying her head on his shoulder and snuggling into his neck. In a million years, she never thought she would find a man like Leonard McCoy, and she never believed she would deserve him. He was her happiness.

"I could get used to this." She sighed.

"What's that exactly?" He asked.

"Dancing with my husband to good music."

"That sounds good." He agreed, smiling to himself.

"We should do this. We should make time every week to dance together."

"I wouldn't mind an excuse to hold you close every week."

Raylene pulled back to see his face. "Then it's settled. Every week no matter what's going on in our lives we'll find a time to dance together."

McCoy answered by kissing her deeply. They stayed pressed together for a long time only breaking the kiss to take a breath.

The slow song ended, and the band picked up into a faster paced song. Raylene relaxed and moved to hug him instead. She pressed her cheek into his chest, listening to his strong heart. McCoy held her tightly against him, savoring their closeness.

His mind began to think of what might have been had he not escaped the shuttle in time. He would have missed Kirk teasing him and making his life difficult, and he would have missed Raylene like the desert misses the rain.

Raylene could feel his body tense as she held onto him. "Penny for your thoughts."

"I was just thinkin' about what would've happened if I hadn't made it out of that shuttle."

Raylene looked up at him. "Don't. Don't talk about that. You're here now and that's all that matters."

McCoy met her eyes. "You're right." He adjusted his grip on her, pulling her closer.

"Besides, I would never give you up that easily." Raylene added.

McCoy chuckled. "I don't plan on going anywhere, so don't start throwing punches yet."

"Yes, doctor." Raylene smiled up him.

They stared at each other for a moment enjoying the cool breeze and the salty smell of the ocean. Raylene was the first to disentangle from the hug, giving McCoy a look, he couldn't quite read.

"What?"

She tilted her head slightly as she eyed him. "It's late. We should go to bed."

"Really? I'm not that tired, but if you don't want to dance we can sit on the swing some more and—"

"Leonard." Raylene raised her eyebrows, implying that he was missing her point.

McCoy thought through the conversation trying to piece together what he missed. His brain wracked for an answer until he remembered they were on their honeymoon.

"You didn't really mean bed, did you?"

"No."

"Right." McCoy nodded, then rushed at Raylene grabbing her by the waist and lifting her from the ground. "Let's go to bed."

Raylene wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips to steady herself as he carried her into the house and to the bedroom.

* * *

TWO MONTHS LATER

"Attention all crew members. Welcome back to the Enterprise. We received orders to extend our search of new quadrants in space based on our recent five year mission. As always Starfleet expects our ship to lead the way toward future alliances among other planets.

"A special congratulations goes to our own Doctors McCoy and Hobbs for getting married while on our recent shore leave. Love you both. Kirk out." Kirk ended the announcements knowing Bones would pay him a visit later to reprimand him for making their marriage public.

He smiled to himself as he thought about the girl from the red planet who tamed the heart of his best friend. She was everything Bones needed, and he secretly hoped they would spend the rest of their lives keeping each other out of trouble.

McCoy grumbled to himself as he organized the new information on the new crew members and planned medical examinations for existing crew members. The worst part about being the CMO for a starship was the amount of information he needed to scan in every time the ship left for a new mission.

Hands clasped over his eyes blocking his view and startling him only slightly.

"Guess who." A familiar voice whispered in his ear.

McCoy smiled. "Commander Spock I didn't know we had a meeting. This is an unusual way to get my attention."

The hands moved from over his eyes and shoved him in the back, knocking him forward a step.

"How dare you call me Spock." Raylene complained, laughing through her faux anger.

McCoy laughed at her obvious frustration and turned around to face her. "I knew it was you, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity."

Raylene crossed her arms and stuck out her bottom lip in a pout.

"Now, sweetheart, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I'm sorry."

"No, you're not."

"Yes I am." He reached a hand around her waist and pulled her into him. Her arms stayed crossed keeping a little distance between them.

"I'm sorry." McCoy kissed her cheek. "I'm sorry." He kissed her other cheek. He repeated saying I'm sorry and punctuating it with a kiss to another part of her face.

Once he kissed her lips, Raylene broke down.

"I forgive you, Dr. McCoy." She relaxed into his embrace.

"I love you, Mrs. McCoy."

"Speaking of that, did you hear Kirk's announcement?"

McCoy rolled his eyes. "Of course, I did."

"When do we get to beat him up?" Raylene asked, giddy with anticipation.

"Whenever you want. I'll follow your lead." McCoy kissed her forehead.

The alert to his office beeped, telling them someone was waiting outside. Raylene kissed him one more time before releasing him.

"I'll see you later." She smiled.

"I love you." He said, meaning those three words in a way he had never meant them in his entire life. They couldn't describe the depth of his emotions for his new wife.

"I love you, Leonard." Raylene replied.

She turned and opened the door to reveal a group of nurses, a few new ones in the crowd, waiting to be told what to do. Raylene offered to show them some of the improvements to the new Enterprise and McCoy relaxed into his desk chair.

After his first marriage, McCoy had thought happiness in romantic relationships was a lie. It had taken traveling thousands of lightyears in space for him to discover that happiness was possible if you were willingly to fight for it. Fighting for Raylene was the best decision he had ever made, and McCoy was the happiest he had ever been in his entire life.


End file.
